Republican Congressman Bob Good of Virginia told "Rob Schmitt Tonight" that Newsmax is "willing to try to hold our government accountable" despite censorship attempts.
Good, a member of the Freedom Caucus, joined several colleagues on the House floor moments before appearing on the program Tuesday to call out AT&T's decisions to boot Newsmax and One America News Network off DirecTV.
"To see this happening, continue to happen with DirecTV and AT&T deplatforming the fourth-largest cable news channel Newsmax — obviously no reason for them to do that from a business standpoint," Good pointed out.
"Matter of fact, they're operating in conflict with the business interests, the interests of their customers, their employees, and their shareholders," he argued, adding that AT&T was suppressing "freedom of speech and freedom of the press."
The congressman further described the satellite provider as "an agent of suppressing" Newsmax's goal to "point out when the government's wrong."
His comments arrive one week after DirecTV stopped broadcasting Newsmax due to a contract dispute surrounding licensing fees, which Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy described as minuscule compared to other networks.
"This is a blatant act of political discrimination and censorship against Newsmax," Ruddy said. "The most extreme liberal channels, even with tiny ratings, get fees from AT&T's DirecTV, but Newsmax and OAN need to be de-platformed."
Along with Reps. Ken Buck of Colorado, Dan Bishop of North Carolina, and other prominent Republicans on Tuesday, Good helped to expose censorship against conservatives on the Energy and Commerce Committee.
"Back in February of 2021, Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee went so far as to write and ask AT&T's DirecTV to censor OAN, Fox News channel, and Newsmax," Good said on the floor.
"Then in January 2022, AT&T-owned DirecTV complied and dropped OAN from their platform and their channel line-up," he continued. "Now they're planning to do the same thing with Newsmax."
Actions to Take Now
1. DirecTV customers: Call them toll free at 877-763-9762 and demand they bring NEWSMAX back on air. President Trump urges you CANCEL!
- Important: If DirecTV tells you we're 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!
4. Go to our online petition and get more info at: iWantNewsmax.com.
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