FCC/GOP/NRA: “Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Thursday [3-1-18] turned down an NRA gun award he received at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week, citing the advice of ethics officials at his agency.
An executive from the National Rifle Association named Pai the Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire Award recipient at CPAC for his efforts to repeal the Obama-era net neutrality rules. The award was a Kentucky handmade long gun, which the NRA said would be housed at the organization’s museum until he could retrieve it.
But the FCC chairman, in letters sent Thursday to the NRA and to the American Conservative Union, which puts on the conference, noted he was “surprised” by the award and turned down the gun…
Pai, who according to the FCC has been the target of threats over his net neutrality actions, received a standing ovation when the gun award was announced. The event took place less than two weeks after the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., which has sparked a national debate about gun control and the power of the NRA.
The chairman was scheduled to give a speech at CPAC but ended up taking part in a panel discussion with his fellow Republican FCC commissioners to discuss the agency’s work.”
–Margaret Harding McGill, “FCC chairman declines NRA gun award,” Politico, Mar. 1, 2018 06:53pm