Ted Cruz, Mike Lee Join Dumb, Baseless GOP Quest To Pretend OAN Was Unfairly Censored

So we've already noted how OAN was booted off of the DirecTV lineup, severing a massive mainstream distribution avenue for the conspiracy and fantasy channel. DirecTV, recently spun off by AT&T, made the decision because the channel, despite all the attention, really wasn't being watched very much.

Angry that a major source of GOP propaganda was no longer being pumped into millions of homes, both OAN and the GOP have been engaged in a silly quest to try and pretend that the decision was somehow unfair, censorial, or the result of partisan shenanigans.

First OAN had its anchors attack a Black AT&T board member and former Democratic FCC official, in a bizarre attempt to make it seem like DirecTV's decision was politically and racially motivated. Then it filed suit against DirecTV, insisting that the dying satellite TV company was using its unchecked influence and power" (lol) to unlawfully destroy an independent, family-run business."

Then six GOP AGs piled on, sending a letter to DirecTV accusing the company of trying to censor conservatives. It's like a big tray of bullshit lasagna.

Now this week, Senators Mike Cruz and Mike Lee have tried their best to get their faces on TV as part of this stage play, penning a latter to AT&T accusing it of participating in a conspiracy with Dominion Voting Systems (which is currently suing OAN for spreading unfounded election fraud claims):

Ted Cruz and Mike Lee send AT&T a threatening letter today demanding to know why OAN is being canceled. pic.twitter.com/WKQ5Xk6LET

- Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) March 23, 2022

If you cannot see the embedded image, it's a letter from Lee and Cruz to AT&T's board of directors and reads as follows:

We write to you with grave concern for the future of journalism and political discourse in America. Specifically, the following facts have come to our attention:

1. One American News Network (OANN") is being sued for alleged defamation by Dominion Voting Systems.

2. Dominion Voting Systems is owned by Staple Street Capital.

3. William Kennard is on the executive board of Staple Street Capital.

4. William Kennard is also the Chairman of AT&T's board of directors.

5. AT&T owns 70% of DirecTV, and controls two seats on DirecTV's board of directors.

6. DirecTV has decided not to renew its contract with OANN.

These facts raise serious questions about the role of political influence in DirecTV's programming decisions, as well as whether AT&T's Chairman has allowed personal financial considerations to influence his oversight of a company in which AT&T holds a majority share-possibly in conflict with his fiduciary obligations to AT&T shareholders.

We request that you respond within 10 business days to the following question: Did any employee or agent of AT&T at any time convey or suggest to any employee or agent of DirecTV an instruction or request not to renew OANN?

We appreciate your urgent attention to this inquiry, and look forward to receiving your prompt reply.

In short, the dynamic duo imply that because William Kennard, the Chairman of AT&T's board of directors, is also on the board of private equity firm Staple Street Capital (which owns Dominion Voting Systems), this must all be some grand conspiracy to kick OAN off of DirecTV, as if Kennard can single handedly determine all of AT&T's business proposals by himself.

In reality, OAN was kicked off of DirecTV's lineup because not that many people watch the channel. DirecTV was spun off by AT&T into a new joint venture with private equity firm TPG Capital, and the new leadership simply didn't think the profitability to headache ratio was worth renewing a contract. That's it.

Remember that AT&T not only funded the creation of OAN, reports suggest it came up with the idea. It only backed away from DirecTV because its bungled $200 billion megamerger spree left it desperate for cash. TPG came in, and the focus was obviously on greater fiscal responsibility.

Cable and broadcast executives aren't the most ethical bunch. As your cable TV channel lineup makes pretty clear, they'll air any old bullshit provided it makes them money and doesn't get them into legal hot water. OAN not only wasn't really particularly popular, its unhinged claims of electoral fraud and obnoxious COVID conspiracies made the channel not worth the trouble, even for them.

Even if DirecTV axed OAN because of its content, there's nothing illegal there. There's nothing requiring that DirecTV mandate viewpoint neutrality across its lineup. It's the company's prerogative as a business to do business with whoever they'd like, something the Conservative party, you might recall, used to prattle on about at great length about before their noggins were filled with Trump pudding.

An ordinary business decision got distorted into a grand conspiracy by the Trump GOP to agitate their increasingly conspiratorial base and feed the gibberish claim that the modern Trump GOP (whose rants, opinions, and conspiracies can be found absolutely everywhere, all the time) are somehow being unfairly silenced. It's dumb victimization porn and propaganda all the way down.