DeSantis Says Congress Must Investigate DirecTV for Dropping Newsmax

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas on Nov. 19, 2022. Wade Vandervort/AFP via Getty Images

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that Congress should investigate AT&T-owned DirecTV over its decision to drop conservative channel Newsmax.

“I think there should be no ideological litmus test when you have these big companies that have the decision to make or break a news network, or any type of network,” DeSantis said on Jan. 31.

“They will give different rationales for why they don’t want to do it, but the reality is they have so much other content that is very lightly viewed, and yet they keep that on, and it seems it is the One America News and the Newsmax who are being targeted,” DeSantis added. “So I think it does warrant an investigation.”

DirecTV removed Newsmax from its channel lineup overnight on Jan. 24, in a move that came less than a year after the canceling of another conservative network, One America News (OAN) network, on its platform.

The cable provider said it had wanted to keep Newsmax but the channel’s demand for rate increases would have led to price hikes for its customers.

Newsmax has dismissed DirecTV’s claims that the decision to drop the channel was merely a fee dispute.

“This is a blatant act of political discrimination and censorship against Newsmax,” Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax said in a statement. “The most extreme liberal channels, even with tiny ratings, get fees from AT&T’s DirecTV, but Newsmax and OAN need to be deplatformed.”

Chris Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax, in 2018. Newsmax via AP

DeSantis said that Congress or the House “would probably be best equipped” to carry out the investigation.

“I really think this is something that the Congress needs to look at. And I think that they need to ensure that there’s not intellectual discrimination going on when it comes to what people are able to view,” the governor added.

Congress

Many Republican lawmakers have since voiced support for Newsmax while criticizing DirecTV.

On Jan. 30, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Newsmax that Congress would hold hearings about the deplatforming of the channel soon.

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) told Newsmax on Jan. 27 that there will be “a committee that’s going to hold hearings” on DirecTV’s decision to drop the channel.

“We’re going to meet later today and try to discuss which committee’s going to do what,” Comer said. “That’s certainly on the agenda. I’m very concerned by this.”

“We’re going to try to get to the bottom of this,” Comer added. “I’ve had several people from AT&T reach out to me. We’re going to have a meeting with them and, hopefully, we can get this resolved.”

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• House Republicans Urge DirecTV Not to Drop Newsmax

A day earlier, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) took to Twitter to announce that House GOP “is examining this in detail now.”

“As I’ve said, deplatforming @NEWSMAX is unacceptable,” Stefanik wrote. “Families rely on this conservative program for news, including in #NY21. It’s very clear bias!”

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) called for Senate hearings in an interview with Newsmax on Jan. 25.

“We’ve got to get to the bottom of this,” Scott said. “This censorship by companies like AT&T of conservative voices, what Google does, what Facebook does, what Elon Musk has put out about what Twitter did ... this has got to stop.”

“We need to hold hearings here, we need to get to the bottom of this,” Scott said. “I’m going to do everything that I can.”

‘Big Blow to Republican Party’

Former President Donald Trump weighed in on DirecTV’s decision on Jan. 25, calling the decision a “disgusting move” in a post on his Truth Social account.

“The Radical Left seems to have taken over the mind and soul of AT&T. This is a big blow to the Republican Party, and to America itself,” Trump wrote. “I, for one, will be dropping all association with AT&T and DIRECTV, and I have plenty. This is just one of many reasons why we must WIN IN 2024!!!”

Trump hit the campaign trail on Jan. 28 with stops in New Hampshire and South Carolina. The visits marked his first campaign appearances since announcing his bid for the White House in November last year.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, in an interview with The Epoch Times last week, criticized DirecTV’s decision as an “arbitrary use of power.”

“I think this is the kind of arbitrary use of power that people want to be really looking at. I don’t understand how AT&T can just censor a network,” Gingrich said.

He added, “It’s helpful to have many news outlets, and I would be as opposed to dropping MSNBC or dropping CNN as to dropping Newsmax.”