Jon Stewart Says Fox News 'Refused' to Let Him Speak on Veterans' Healthcare

After a week of eviscerating Republicans, Jon Stewart brought his fiery commentary to MSNBC Thursday night, telling host Medhi Hasan that Fox News "refused" to have him on air to discuss GOP senators voting down legislation that would expand healthcare for veterans.

On Wednesday, Senate Republicans blocked the bipartisan Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, or the PACT Act, which would have expanded VA health care eligibility to more than 3.5 million post-9/11 combat veterans.

Stewart appeared on Newsmax earlier on Thursday to discuss the vote, explaining that the PACT Act is "about treating and preventing the different conditions that veterans are coming home with, including cancers and chronic bronchitis, and all these other issues, from their exposures in Iraq and Afghanistan."

A few hours later, MSNBC's Hasan asked if Stewart thought Republicans would face any consequences for their vote. "You and I could talk about it until we're blue in the face," said Stewart. "They're never gonna hear this. There's an information silo."

He added, "I was lucky enough to be able to get a hold of Newsmax this morning and go on there. Might have been the first time those viewers had ever heard about it."

Stewart was less successful with Fox News, the leading conservative network. "Fox News — they refused to put me on all day," he said. "We've been begging them to get on the air all day long so that we can finally bring along some possible accountability to these senators."

The former Daily Show host concluded the interview by advocating for the victims, saying, "The truth is, the people who've suffered the most, that had to fight the hardest, are the ones who, once again, bear the brunt of this betrayal."

Following Stewart's appearance on MSNBC, Fox News scheduled two on-air interviews with him on Friday.

A representative from Fox News told Primetimer in a statement, "We have welcomed Jon Stewart on our programs many times to spotlight his critical work with veterans and 9/11 first responders and look forward to having him on America&'s Newsroom today at 10:30 AM as well as Special Report this evening."

Deena ElGenaidi's writing has been featured in Nylon, MTV News, Insider, The AV Club, and more. You can follow her on Twitter @deenaelg.