Nico Perrino is executive vice president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a free speech advocacy group. He hosts FIRE's podcast So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, directed and produced the documentary Mighty Ira, and wrote the book Free Speech Generation.
Case
The Justice Department is investigating whether ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC broke antitrust law by jointly suspending White House pool coverage after Trump barred CNN. Former U.S. attorney Joyce Vance argues the networks were protesting, not restraining trade.
Role at the time: Executive vice president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), in a post on his personal X account
Statement summary
Nico Perrino, executive vice president of FIRE, responded to the report of the antitrust investigation by asking whether there was any lever the administration would not pull to punish its enemies, and contrasted the inquiry with the administration's promise to bring free speech back to America.
“Is there a lever this administration is unwilling to pull to punish its enemies? So much for “bringing free speech back to America” and ending the lawfare.”
The case asks whether the Justice Department is justified in investigating the television networks' White House press-pool boycott under antitrust law. Quoting The New York Times report of the investigation, Perrino asks whether there is "a lever this administration is unwilling to pull to punish its enemies" and mocks the promise of "bringing free speech back to America". That treats the inquiry as punishment of the administration's critics, so we labeled it Condemned. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization; it loses because he attacks the investigation itself rather than disputing how it is described.
Statement dates: October 10, 2026
Statement dates: October 10, 2026
Statement dates: October 10, 2026
Statement dates: October 10, 2026
