Democrats pressure Paramount CEO over merger and alleged Trump ties
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jamie Raskin sent a letter to Paramount Pictures chief David Ellithon demanding answers about the company's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and its reported contacts with the Trump administration.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the leading Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, sent a new letter to Paramount Pictures CEO David Ellison accusing him of colluding with President Donald Trump and urging him to answer a series of questions about the pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The correspondence, obtained by a news outlet, follows Paramount’s effort to settle a state antitrust lawsuit that has halted the merger.
Raskin noted that Ellison had not responded to four prior inquiries over the past year and, citing an op-ed Ellison published in The New York Times, invited him to a transcribed interview with the committee. The letter also referenced reports of “political interference” at CBS News, a Paramount-owned outlet, and an anonymously sourced Wall Street Journal report that Ellison allegedly assured Trump-administration officials he would make sweeping changes to CNN if the deal closed.
"You have eagerly shown the president that you are going to deliver on both counts as if you are controlling organs of state media," the letter read.
Ellison’s op-ed emphasized the need for newsrooms that reflect a broad audience and maintain independence, without mentioning Trump. The letter warned that a Democrat-led Judiciary Committee would examine whether federal agencies had used their authority to favor the merger, potentially violating First Amendment protections.
Other Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, have criticized the merger as a cost-cutting move that could reduce bargaining power for writers, actors and crew. Paramount maintains the transaction is pro-competitive and points to approvals from the Justice Department and other regulators, but the deal remains frozen pending the outcome of the state antitrust case and a separate lawsuit from the Writers Guild of America.
Paramount has indicated willingness to discuss a settlement, while California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the state remains focused on litigation. Reports that Ellison threatened to relocate the company out of California if the case is not resolved by October were described by Bonta as an attempt to pressure regulators, a characterization disputed by Paramount’s chief legal officer.