Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay told Newsmax TV on Friday that the proposed $85 billion AT&T merger with Time Warner was "disturbing" because the new entity could easily silence conservative media voices.
"AT&T and particularly DirecTV have already exhibited their penchant against conservative networks," DeLay, the Texas Republican who was majority leader from 2003 to 2005, told "Newsmax Prime" host J.D. Hayworth.
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DeLay joins a growing list of conservative leaders who oppose the merger. If approved, it would give AT&T control over 25 percent of the U.S. cable/satellite market, more than 130 million mobile phones, and the power house content of Time Warner, which includes networks like CNN and Time Warner.
During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump said he would also oppose the deal. He said the mega-merger was an "an example of the power structure I'm fighting."
He added, "AT&T is buying Time Warner and thus CNN, a deal we will not approve in my administration because it's too much concentration of power in the hands of too few."
AT&T was a major corporate bundler for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
DeLay noted that DirecTV has not demonstrated fairness in its news content offerings, citing the fact that "they dropped Newsmax, for instance."
"There's a reason for that: I think they were trying to get rid of a conservative network on their carriage," DeLay said.
"They're going to own CNN," he added. "They're going to want CNN to be successful, so I think they're going to put a lot of pressure on Fox News and Newsmax and any other conservative networks that may be coming forward to be carried by DirecTV."
At a Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee hearing this past Wednesday, chaired by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, senators from both parties raised serious questions about the merger.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the chairman of the full Judiciary Committee, said "There's concern about the merged company's ability to employ 'bullying' tactics to dictate rates and terms to other networks.
"There's concern that this acquisition will concentrate too much power into one conglomerate, resulting in higher prices and fewer programming options for consumers. There's also concern about the merger's implications for a free and diverse press."
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