Former Veteran Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said the decision from AT&T's DirecTV to drop Newsmax threatens the "fundamental first liberty" of the United States.
Joining "Rob Schmitt Tonight" on Thursday, the former Trump administration official walked through historical examples of when former presidents seriously threatened the First Amendment.
"We've been here before," Wilkie told guest host Sebastian Gorka. "John Adams tried to arrest every editor in the country who didn't like him. Woodrow Wilson unleashed his attorney general on dissidents in 1919."
DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to cancel/complain
Wilkie continued, "Thankfully, they were thrown out of office in the next election; but this is dangerous. It cuts off America's ability to speak, to hear every side. And it punishes political thought, which is the most dangerous ... threat to any democracy."
His comments arrive in the backdrop of the Biden administration's decision to ignore the ongoing censorship of Newsmax, which House Republicans have called "shocking."
Despite being the fourth highest-rated cable news channel in the nation, a top 20 channel overall, and watched by 25 million Americans on cable alone, AT&T-owned DirecTV cut off Newsmax from its more than 13 million customers last month.
The satellite provider has claimed the move was a simple "cost-cutting measure" due to "excessive" fee demands. However, Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy has argued that far less-successful liberal news channels are paid far more.
"This is a blatant act of political discrimination and censorship against Newsmax," Ruddy stated. "The most extreme liberal channels, even with tiny ratings, get fees from AT&T's DirecTV, but Newsmax and OAN need to be deplatformed."
Actions to Take Now
1. DirecTV customers call toll free at 877-763-9762 to cancel/complain.
2. AT&T customers call toll free at 888-855-2338 to cancel/complain for U-verse, cellular, and wireless 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: iWantNewsmax.com.
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