AT&T DirecTV is knowingly "trying to hurt a conservative organization" with their removal of Newsmax, and noted liberal legal expert Alan Dershowitz's rejection of this as "viewpoint discrimination" is spot on, according to former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa.
"What Dershowitz has laid out is what I think is the facts, which is: Clearly DirecTV is biased," Santorum, a Newsmax political correspondent, told Friday's "Prime News" with Jenn Pellegrino. "Not just Newsmax but One America News have been banned from their network."
DirecTV has claimed both Newsmax and OAN were removed as "cost-cutting" measures at the same time the company reported profits last year of $2.7 billion. DirecTV claimed Newsmax was demanding "excessive fees" that would cost them in the "tens of millions" of dollars.
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to complain, demand Newsmax is returned! Oppose censorship – sign The Petition – Click Here
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, and that total amount of the deal was a fraction of "tens of millions."
Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy sees AT&T DirecTV's unwillingness to budge as an act of "political discrimination."
"This was never about the fees being excessive," Ruddy said. "DirecTV's position has always been that Newsmax — of all cable news channels — should never get any cable fee whatsoever, not one penny. "
DirecTV continues to carry 22 left-leaning news channels, many with much lower ratings than Newsmax. And of those channels get license fees.
DirecTV is actively working to demonetize conservative opposition to their chosen path liberal activism, Dershowitz argued in an opinion column for Newsweek, and Santorum agreed to Pellegrino.
"They know the impact when they do that; they know that when they deplatform Newsmax that has implications for Newsmax beyond them," he said. "So they're trying to hurt a conservative organization, a conservative-leaning news organization.
"And Alan Dershowitz is saying viewpoint discrimination is not something we should be in favor of."
Dershowitz, notably, is a self-proclaimed liberal Democrat who vows to vote against former President Donald Trump a "third time" in 2024; yet, even he can see the "prima facie case of discrimination against Newsmax" by AT&T DirecTV.
"Alan Dershowitz, unfortunately, is one of the few remaining honest liberals," Santorum told Pellegrino. "Most liberals have descended into progressivism, which has left them without any reason to deal with reality."
Actions to Take Now
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.