FCC accused of hiding Chairman Carr’s messages with DOGE and Musk

FCC 被指隐瞒主席卡尔与 DOGE 及马斯克的通讯记录

An advocacy group trying to investigate DOGE’s influence on the Federal Communications Commission accused the FCC of failing to comply with a public records request and of concealing Chairman Brendan Carr’s use of the Signal messaging service. 一个旨在调查“政府效率部”（DOGE）对联邦通信委员会（FCC）影响力的倡导组织指责 FCC 未能遵守公共记录披露请求，并隐瞒了主席布伦丹·卡尔（Brendan Carr）使用 Signal 通讯软件的事实。

“The evidence clearly demonstrates that the FCC has acted in bad faith by withholding documents responsive to Plaintiffs’ FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] request,” journalist Nina Burleigh and advocacy group Frequency Forward said in a filing yesterday in US District Court for the District of Columbia. “The FCC acted in bad faith when it redefined the search criteria without notice to Plaintiffs or this Court. Further, the FCC acted in bad faith by concealing the fact that the Chairman Carr has a Signal account on a phone he uses to conduct government business.” 记者尼娜·伯利（Nina Burleigh）与倡导组织 Frequency Forward 昨日向美国哥伦比亚特区联邦地区法院提交的文件中表示：“证据清楚地表明，FCC 通过扣留原告《信息自由法》（FOIA）请求所要求的相关文件，表现出了恶意。FCC 在未通知原告或本法院的情况下重新定义搜索标准，属于恶意行为。此外，FCC 隐瞒了卡尔主席在其用于处理政府公务的手机上拥有 Signal 账户这一事实，同样是恶意行为。”

Burleigh and Frequency Forward sued the FCC last year, alleging that it violated the Freedom of Information Act by wrongfully withholding agency records. In August 2025, a federal judge ordered the FCC to produce documents and criticized it for a “vague and uninformative” response to the lawsuit. 伯利和 Frequency Forward 去年起诉了 FCC，指控其非法扣留机构记录，违反了《信息自由法》。2025 年 8 月，一位联邦法官下令 FCC 提供相关文件，并批评其对诉讼的回应“含糊不清且毫无参考价值”。

The plaintiffs filed the initial FoIA request in February 2025 for an investigation into how DOGE’s activities at the FCC may have created conflicts of interest related to Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Starlink, which are seeking various FCC licenses and authorizations. 原告于 2025 年 2 月首次提交了 FOIA 请求，旨在调查 DOGE 在 FCC 的活动是否可能导致与埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）旗下的 SpaceX 和星链（Starlink）相关的利益冲突，因为这些公司目前正在寻求 FCC 的多项许可和授权。

“The evidence strongly suggests that Musk bought his way into the White House and to obtain his position as the de-facto head of DOGE, and that he had used his government authority and access to information to earn huge profits for himself and his companies,” plaintiffs said yesterday. “Plaintiffs’ FoIA request seeks documents that shed light on the relationship between the FCC, Musk as regulator and Musk and his companies as regulated entities.” 原告昨日表示：“证据强烈表明，马斯克通过金钱铺路进入白宫并获得了 DOGE 事实负责人的职位，并利用其政府权力和信息获取渠道为自己及其公司谋取巨额利润。原告的 FOIA 请求旨在寻求能够揭示 FCC 与马斯克（作为监管者）以及马斯克及其公司（作为被监管实体）之间关系的文件。”

Burleigh and Frequency Forward asked the court to deny an FCC motion for summary judgment, order the agency to produce all responsive documents within a week, and allow the plaintiffs to file discovery requests. Their filing accused the FCC of having “wasted a year of the Court’s time and frustrated Plaintiffs’ efforts to timely review critical records.” 伯利和 Frequency Forward 请求法院驳回 FCC 的简易判决动议，命令该机构在一周内提供所有相关文件，并允许原告提交证据开示请求。他们在文件中指责 FCC “浪费了法院一年的时间，并阻碍了原告及时审查关键记录的努力”。

The FCC “has sought to delay the production of responsive documents and obfuscate the existence of responsive records,” and “made it clear that it will not undertake a good faith effort to produce responsive documents,” the filing said. “Accordingly, discovery is required and will speed the document production process by helping the Plaintiffs identify responsive documents.” 文件中写道，FCC “一直试图拖延提供相关文件，并掩盖相关记录的存在”，并且“明确表示不会真诚地努力提供相关文件。因此，必须进行证据开示，这将通过帮助原告识别相关文件来加快文件提供进程。”

Carr’s phone

卡尔的手机

The filing said there is evidence that Carr has Signal messaging set up on a phone he uses for FCC business. Carr’s phone number was previously disclosed in a FoIA request that turned up a November 2024 email from a Fox News producer who was confirming an interview. Entering that “number into the Signal app shows that he has an active Signal account under the username ‘Brendan Carr,’” the filing said. 文件称，有证据表明卡尔在他用于处理 FCC 业务的手机上安装了 Signal 通讯软件。卡尔的电话号码此前在一次 FOIA 请求中被披露，当时该请求调取了一封 2024 年 11 月来自福克斯新闻制片人确认采访的电子邮件。文件中称，将该“号码输入 Signal 应用程序显示，他拥有一个用户名为‘Brendan Carr’的活跃 Signal 账户”。

A court filing submitted by the FCC on June 3 said that Carr did not have phone numbers for DOGE personnel and that “it is agency policy not to download additional messaging applications on FCC phones (e.g., Signal, WhatsApp).” FCC 在 6 月 3 日提交的一份法庭文件中表示，卡尔没有 DOGE 人员的电话号码，并且“机构政策规定不在 FCC 手机上下载额外的通讯应用程序（如 Signal、WhatsApp）”。

Plaintiffs counter that Carr likely exchanged messages with Musk or other high-ranking DOGE officials. “Plaintiffs do not know whether the number identified in Exs. 4 and 5 belongs to Carr’s personal phone or a government issued phone,” the filing said. “What we do know is that a phone is being used for government business and that it has a Signal account in Carr’s name. Based on information and belief Carr regularly conducts government business through text and Signal messages, communicating with journalists, industry professional and individuals who work for regulated entities, such as Musk and SpaceX.” 原告反驳称，卡尔很可能与马斯克或其他 DOGE 高层官员交换过信息。文件中写道：“原告不知道附件 4 和 5 中确定的号码是属于卡尔的个人手机还是政府配发的手机。我们所知道的是，该手机正被用于政府公务，且以卡尔的名义注册了 Signal 账户。基于信息和信念，卡尔经常通过短信和 Signal 消息处理政府公务，与记者、行业专业人士以及在马斯克和 SpaceX 等被监管实体工作的人员进行沟通。”

Plaintiffs said the FCC’s statement that Carr did not have phone numbers for DOGE personnel doesn’t settle the matter. “It is unlikely that Carr would have communicated with individuals at that level. Carr would have communicated with Musk or other highly placed DOGE officials,” the filing said. Plaintiffs said a previous case involving DOGE showed that “DOGE personnel routinely conducted business on their personal phones using text messages, especially the Signal app.” 原告表示，FCC 关于卡尔没有 DOGE 人员电话号码的声明并不能解决问题。文件中称：“卡尔不太可能与该级别的人员进行沟通。卡尔沟通的对象应该是马斯克或其他身居高位的 DOGE 官员。”原告指出，此前涉及 DOGE 的案件表明，“DOGE 人员经常使用个人手机通过短信，特别是 Signal 应用程序处理公务。”

The filing separately accused the FCC of limiting its records search to emails with FCC, DOGE, and GSA (General Services Administration) domains, despite plaintiffs’ objections. It also said that travel documents provided by the FCC did not include anything about Carr’s visits to Starlink facilities. 该文件还指责 FCC 尽管遭到原告反对，仍将其记录搜索范围限制在 FCC、DOGE 和 GSA（总务管理局）域名的电子邮件中。文件还称，FCC 提供的差旅文件未包含任何关于卡尔访问星链设施的内容。

We contacted the FCC today and will update this article if it provides any comment. 我们已于今日联系 FCC，若其提供任何评论，我们将更新本文。