OAN Geraldyn Berry
UPDATED 2:12 PM PT – Tuesday, March 7, 2023
The White House has confirmed that Gigi Sohn has withdrawn her run for the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday. Sohn notified the White House she would drop out after her nomination stalled for 16 months.
The Washington Post reported that Sohn’s withdrawal comes after the “unrelenting, dishonest and cruel attacks” of the media and lobbyists that have left an “enormous toll” on her and her family.
“As someone who has advocated for my entire career for affordable, accessible broadband for every American, it is ironic that the 2-2 FCC will remain sidelined at the most consequential opportunity for broadband in our lifetimes,” Sohn said in a statement. “This means that your broadband will be more expensive for lack of competition, minority and underrepresented voices will be marginalized, and your private information will continue to be used and sold at the whim of your broadband provider.”
Shortly before Sohn announced her decision, Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) announced that he would vote against her, accusing her of holding “partisan alliances with far-left groups.”
“Especially now, the FCC must remain above the toxic partisanship that Americans are sick and tired of, and Ms. Sohn has clearly shown she is not the person to do that,” Manchin said in a statement.
Sohn’s opponents propelled her from a low-profile job to the center of an unprecedented battle that included three Senate confirmation hearings, several advertisements, and a billboard that attacked Sohn as “radical” and “political” while analyzing her social media posts.
The White House first nominated Gigi Sohn in October 2021 to serve as a telecommunications regulator.
The former Democratic FCC official, if confirmed, would have been the tiebreak vote in the commission that is comprised of two Republicans and two Democrats. This is due to the fact that regulatory rules cannot be put into action without bipartisan support.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made a statement about Sohn’s decision.
“We appreciate Gigi Sohn’s candidacy for this important role,” Jean-Pierre said. “She would have brought tremendous intellect and experience, which is why the president nominated her in the first place.”
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