Rep. Burchett to Newsmax: Rioting Would Ensue If CNN Deplatformed

DirecTV's move to take Newsmax off its platform late last month was an "obvious attempt to censor a conservative view," and if it were CNN being removed instead, there would be "rioting in the streets," said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.

DirecTV, which is owned by AT&T, claimed Newsmax was demanding "excessive fees" that would cost in the "tens of millions" of dollars and dropped it from the platform in late January.

But Newsmax has denied these claims, saying it was seeking a fee of about $1 per cable subscriber per year, among the lowest fees asked for in cable.

DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is returned! Oppose censorship – sign The Petition – Click Here

DirecTV continues to carry 22 left-leaning news channels, many with much lower ratings than Newsmax, and all of those channels get license fees.

"Can you imagine what would happen if CNN, which is the liberal lapdog, had been boxed out?" Burchett asked Saturday during an appearance on Newsmax's "Saturday Report."

"All the outcry would be awful. There'd be rioting in the streets. But because y'all are a conservative voice, they're being silent. But I salute Alan Dershowitz" for bringing light to the issue, he added.

Dershowitz, an emeritus professor of law at Harvard Law School, on Friday wrote that AT&T's deplatforming of Newsmax "should alarm everyone, including liberals" in an op-ed for Newsweek.

"We are all at risk when censorship occurs — when one is silenced based on his or her point of view," he added.

1. DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is back on air!

2. 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!

3. Go to our online petition and get more info: iWantNewsmax.com.

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