Gore: Murdoch banned Current TV in Italy because we hired Olbermann

An Italian cable provider owned by billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch has kicked the Current TV network off the air following the channel's announcement that former MSNBC liberal news host Keith Olbermann would be joining their lineup.

Current TV founder Al Gore, the former vice president of the United States, isn't taking the affront lightly.

In an interview with The Guardian, Gore called the move an "abuse of power," saying it was a direct response to Current's decision to hire Olbermann.

"News Corporation is an international conglomerate with an ideological agenda," he told the British newspaper. "It seeks political power in every nation they operate. They wield that power to shut down voices that disagree with the agenda of Rupert Murdoch."

"Olbermann has often been critical of News Corporation," he reportedly added.

Murdoch's News Corp., which owns the Fox News Channel and associated Fox properties in the U.S., reaches hundreds of millions every month. The company is also on the verge of buying out the British broadcaster BSkyB.

Gore added that he wasn't sure if Murdoch himself had given the order to kick Current off airwaves in Italy, but he noted that they'd been told the instructions came from News Corp. headquarters in New York.

Read The Guardian's full interview here.