Former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Tuesday praised the FCC for putting the brakes on Sinclair Broadcast Group's acquisition of Tribune Media, telling Newsmax TV the merger of the two broadcast giants would be "very dangerous" for the nation.
And DeLay believes the proposed merger is now dead in the water.
"I'm very encouraged because I'm really, really concerned," DeLay, a Texas Republican, told Tuesday's "America Talks Live."
Important: Newsmax TV is available on DirecTV Ch. 349, U-Verse 1220, DISH 216, and FiOS 615. If your cable operator does not have Newsmax TV just call and ask them to put us on – Call toll-free 1-844-500-6397 and we will connect you right away to your cable operator!
For more places to Find Newsmax TV – Click Here Now
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced Monday he has "serious concerns" about the $3.9 billion deal that would give the conservative-leaning network more than 200 stations with access to more than nearly three-quarters of U.S. households.
"I'm very concerned they're going to gain maybe two, maybe three other type mergers where you have one to three people controlling all the content in our television and everything that we watch on television and in the movies," DeLay said.
"I think it's very dangerous, and I'm very encouraged that Chairman Pai has taken this approach. It looks to me like the merger is in grave danger. It's not going to happen."
DeLay also said Pai's action was not what he was expecting.
"To be honest with you, I was really suspecting Pai to go in the other direction and not look at this [merger] because of some of the actions he's taken at the FCC," he told Newsmax hosts Miranda Khan, John Cardillo, and Gina Loudon.
Pai is questioning the legality of Sinclair's plan to sell TV stations in order to meet ownership limits as it buys Tribune.
"Based on a thorough review of the record, I have serious concerns about the Sinclair/Tribune transaction," Pai said in a tweet.
He is proposing to send the issue to an administrative judge for review.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.