Elizabeth Warren Calls Paramount-WBD Deal An 'Antitrust Disaster,' Questions Trump Influence

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) continued her criticisms of Paramount-Skydance as it is poised to win the bidding for Warner Bros. Discovery, while she questioned the influence of the Trump White House on the outcome of the corporate battle.

In a statement, Warren said, “A Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. merger is an antitrust disaster threatening higher prices and fewer choices for American families. What did Trump officials tell the Netflix CEO today at the White House?

“A handful of Trump-aligned billionaires are trying to seize control of what you watch and charge you whatever price they want. With the cloud of corruption looming over Trump’s Department of Justice, it’ll be up to the American people to speak up and state attorneys general to enforce the law.”

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos met with Trump administration officials at the White House on Thursday, as criticism from Republicans mounted over the streamer’s proposed deal to buy Warner Bros. Shortly after the meeting ended, Netflix announced that it would not try to match or outbid Paramount’s $31-per-share offer for the company.

Warren and other Democrats already have queried David Ellison over the way that Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount Global went down last year. They questioned whether there was a “side deal” with Trump to secure regulatory approval for the transaction. Pre-transaction Paramount Global denied they made such a side deal, while Skydance general counsel Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon wrote to the senators last summer that the company “has fully complied with all applicable laws, including our nation’s anti-bribery laws.”

Warren also was among the Democrats who signed onto a letter last week, asking Ellison to “preserve records” as part of a potential investigation into the company’s contacts with Trump. Paramount has yet to comment.
 

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