ABC sues Trump, accusing him of orchestrating 'retaliatory campaign'

The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), alleging that the Trump administration is seeking to revoke its broadcasting licenses.

In its lawsuit, filed Tuesday in a federal court in Washington, D.C., ABC alleges that it is the victim of a "retaliatory campaign" orchestrated by Donald Trump through the FCC simply because the president "disapproves" of what the network broadcasts.

"Over time, those attacks have escalated into express demands that ABC be stripped of its broadcast licenses because of its speech," emphasized the network owned by The Walt Disney Company.

"For months, the Administration has steadily increased the pressure on ABC, culminating in the present threat to the broadcasting licenses of the eight ABC Owned Stations. The Commission has demanded a review of the Stations’ licenses extraordinarily early," it added. "That timing underscores the Commission’s true purpose: coercing and retaliating against a network that refuses to bow to the Administration’s demands."

Trump has repeatedly targeted the network, calling it "ABC Fake News" for its "fake and defamatory" coverage of various issues involving the president. He has also directed his criticism at Jimmy Kimmel, host of the talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and one of ABC's biggest stars.