WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) issued the following statement in response to DirecTV’s decision to re-platform Newsmax:

“Having Newsmax back on the air is a victory for free speech over powerful corporations that want to put their thumbs on the scale of the national conversation,” said Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas). “This outcome speaks to the power of citizens and their elected representatives working to stop viewpoint discrimination. I'm grateful to my colleagues, Senators Lindsey Graham, Mike Lee, and Tom Cotton, for joining me in this fight. Our democracy’s health depends on free speech, which is why I will keep using my perch as the Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee to stop the silencing of conservatives whether it occurs with Big Media or Big Tech.”

Background:

On February 1^st, Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) sent a letter to the CEOs of DirectTV and its controlling shareholders, AT&T and TPG, voicing deep concerns about DirecTV’s recent decision to drop conservative news network Newsmax. The letter demanded answers and information about the decision.

As the Senators noted, DirecTV dropped two of America’s largest conservative news networks, Newsmax and One America News Network (OANN), during the past two years.

"In January 2022, DirecTV dropped One America News Network (OANN), less than a year after Democrat leaders in Congress sent a letter pushing the CEO of AT&T, DirecTV’s largest shareholder, to stop carrying OANN, Newsmax, and Fox News. These three networks were the three largest conservative news networks in America, and now—in less than a year—DirecTV has de-platformed two of them."

To read the full text of this letter click here.

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