Eight Senate Democrats, including Cory Booker, Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren, are demanding that David Ellison explain what role the Trump White House has played in Paramount Skydance’s hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros. Discovery.
“The pattern of evasion, combined with Paramount’s apparent confidence that a
politically sensitive transaction will clear without difficulty warrants serious scrutiny,” a Thursday letter from the senators reads. “In light of these developments, and pursuant to both your preservation obligation in anticipation of potential litigation surrounding the proposed acquisition and Congress’ additional oversight responsibilities, this letter serves as notice to preserve records related to the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery transaction.”
The senators laid out this “pattern of evasion” after Ellison declined an invitation to appear at a February Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights hearing, where WBD Chief Revenue & Strategy Officer Bruce Campbell and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos both testified on the competitive impact of a Netflix-Warner Bros. merger.
“In your letter rejecting the invitation, you characterized the Paramount bid
as ‘only an offer,’” the senators wrote. “However, an offer is a legally recognized step in the merger review process — and this one was well advanced. DOJ had issued a Second Request for Information on December 23, 2025, and Paramount was actively working to comply, demonstrating that the transaction was documented and moving forward.”
The letter went on to state that Ellison, in declining to testify, offered to provide written testimony as an alternative. When Booker requested that this testimony “address concerns about political interference,” however, Ellison “failed to address these issues.”
“Last week, Paramount-Skydance announced that it certified substantial compliance with the Department of Justice’s December 23, 2025, Second Request for Information, commencing a 10-day waiting period for DOJ’s review,” the letter reads. “The announcement expressed strong confidence that Paramount will secure ‘the necessary clearances quickly and efficiently’ because, in its estimation, the acquisition does not ‘raise any competition concerns.’ However, we can assure you that it raises significant competition concerns that the Senate has not had an opportunity to examine.”
The senators’ letter went on to direct that Paramount preserve an array of documentation related to the potential merger, including all communication with Donald Trump and his affiliates on the matter. You can read the full letter here.
