The FCC asked a judge to toss ABC's lawsuit accusing the regulator of waging an unconstitutional "retaliatory campaign" against the network over programming criticized by the Trump administration, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

FCC probes, including an early review of eight ABC broadcast licenses, are valid efforts to root out potential discrimination and do not violate the network's free-speech rights, the agency said in a court filing, according to the report.

ABC and parent Walt Disney "have not established retaliation in violation of the First Amendment," the FCC's lawyers said, the report said.

Disney and ABC filed the lawsuit last month, alleging that the FCC was violating their First Amendment rights through "pretextual regulatory investigations" championed by President Donald Trump, according to the report.

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