DirecTV does not get to say half the country "doesn't get a voice," Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Monday.
During an appearance on "The Chris Salcedo Show," Hunt said he and 40 of his colleagues have signed a letter "to fight for Newsmax's First Amendment right to be able to be on air."
"Let's be honest, let's talk about this: The only reason why you [DirecTV] don't want us there is because we are a conservative voice that's antithetical to the direction that you want to see in this country," Nehls told host Chris Salcedo.
In what it is described as a "cost-cutting" measure, AT&T's DirecTV cut Newsmax's signal at midnight ET last Wednesday, immediately blocking more than 13 million customers of the satellite service, DirecTV Stream, and U-Verse from viewing the 4th highest-rated cable news channel in the nation.
Hunt said conservatives "aren't trying to quell the voices of the crazy liberal and the crazy left" and said he drafted the letter to "fight for the conservative voice."
"What we want to say is we want our seat at the table as well," he said. "We want our voices to be heard as well. That's what freedom is all about and that's actually what sets this country apart from others in the entire world."
"You don't get to say that half the country is wrong," Hunt continued, referring to DirecTV. "You don't get to say that half the country, which is the conservative piece of this, doesn't get a voice. We all get a voice and let me tell you something — I fought for this country. My sister, my brother, we all went to West Point. There's 60 years' worth of military service just in my immediate family, and we did that to fight for the right of everybody."
Hunt said he is "fighting feverishly for our voice to be heard" and getting Newsmax back on DirecTV would send a message to parent company AT&T that "you will not target one group just because you don't agree with their politics."
"You can't have it both ways, and I think it's up to us on Judiciary to take a deep look into this," he said. "Look, if you're getting government money, then you also don't get to block people's First Amendment rights and that's what our Constitution allows us and that's what's imbued within every single one of us is that those rights are protected.
"If you are going to accept hard-earned taxpayer dollars, which, by the way, half of your hard-earned tax payer dollars come from conservatives, then guess what? We should have our First Amendment rights protected by being able to watch whatever shows that we want that stand up for our values."
Actions to Take Now
1. DirecTV customers: Call them toll free at 877-763-9762 and demand they bring NEWSMAX back on air. President Donald Trump urges you CANCEL!
- Important: If DirecTV tells you we are still negotiating, that is a lie! They have told NEWSMAX we will never be on a regular cable channel. DirecTV also replaced NEWSMAX with a channel that has no news and no ratings. Also, NEWSMAX's livestream is ending soon on other platforms, so unless you get it on DirecTV, you will have to cancel their service.
2. AT&T customers: Call toll free at 888-855-2338, for any of their cellphones, wireless products, or services, and demand they end their censorship of NEWSMAX. President Trump has urged you to cancel their services.
3. Call your congressman or senator at 202-224-3121 and demand they stop AT&T/DirecTV's censorship of NEWSMAX — ask them to give you a date on the hearings!