“The evidence we’ve received suggests that certain station divestitures that have been proposed to the FCC would allow Sinclair to control those stations in practice, even if not in name, in violation of the law,” Pai said in a statement. “When the FCC confronts disputed issues like these, the Communications Act does not allow it to approve a transaction.”

Pai’s reversal saw the FCC vote 4–0 to send the merger to an administrative judge—a potentially grueling uphill battle for any corporate aspirant in Sinclair’s shoes. Sinclair submitted a revised plan last Wednesday as a last-ditch effort to get the Commission to change its mind. Unless that happens, Sinclair-Tribune is staring down a slow and painful death. The Republican commissioner Michael O’Rielly called the vote a “de facto merger death sentence.”

In sending the Sinclair merger to an administrative judge, Pai’s order went so far as to suggest Sinclair demonstrated a “lack of candor” in representing itself to the FCC, a harsh and uncommon accusation—a violation of the FCC’s “character qualifications” in licensing—that could result in harsh penalties for the company, including license revocations.

Barry Faber, Sinclair’s executive vice president and general counsel, responded in a now-public July 18 email. “I understand that if Sinclair has not been completely truthful and forthcoming with regard to these proposed sales, abandoning them would not eliminate such unacceptable behavior,” he wrote. “I point out, however, that as we discussed yesterday no evidence exists that Sinclair has mislead the FCC or been anything other than completely candid with respect to our relationships with the proposed buyers and the terms of the transaction.”

Until he came out against the merger, Pai seemed to favor Sinclair’s acquisition plan. His tenure at the Commission had seen a number of deregulatory steps that appeared custom-made for Sinclair. The archaic UHF discount has been restored, which allows broadcasters to only count half the coverage area of their higher-frequency stations, an insignificant distinction in the era of digital TV. The “main studio” rule has been eliminated, which mandated that broadcasters own a studio or office near the area where they hold a license. And, most importantly, there’s been serious discussion of raising the national ownership cap—a change that would allow the biggest broadcasters to get even bigger.

The FCC spokesman Brian Hart denied that the chairman made an about-face on Sinclair. In an email to The Atlantic, he said Pai’s statement expressing “serious concerns” was the chairman’s only public comment on the merger.

President Trump, who had previously expressed support for Sinclair, tweeted to criticize the FCC decision for the first time on Tuesday night. “So sad and unfair that the FCC wouldn’t approve the Sinclair Broadcast merger with Tribune,” Trump tweeted. “This would have been a great and much needed Conservative voice for and of the People. Liberal Fake News NBC and Comcast gets approved, much bigger, but not Sinclair. Disgraceful!”