Senate Democrats Demand Answers From David Ellison About Paramount Skydance’s Dealings With Trump in Warner Bros. Takeover Bid, Accuse CEO of ‘Pattern of Evasion’
A group of eight Democratic U.S. senators sent a letter to David Ellison, chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance, asking that he “preserve all records related to the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery transaction” — and demanding answers about how his company has interacted with President Trump and the White House in its hostile takeover bid of WBD.
The letter was sent to Ellison by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.). The full text of the letter is at this link.
A spokesperson for Paramount Skydance declined to immediately provide comment.
On Tuesday, Warner Bros. Discovery said it will engage in discussions with Paramount for a seven-day window to “seek clarity” on its “best and final offer” in its hostile takeover effort. That negotiating period, which Netflix granted approval for, ends Feb. 23. Paramount’s most recent offer was $30/share; WBD said it was opening talks to see if Paramount will officially bump up the bid over $31/share. At the same time, WBD said it remained committed to its $83 billion deal with Netflix for now and recommended shareholders vote in favor of that pact at a March 20 special meeting.
Ellison had previously declined an invitation to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights. The subcommittee held a hearing Feb. 3, where Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Warner Bros. Discovery chief revenue and strategy officer Bruce Campbell testified amid sharp questioning.
Following the hearing, Sen. Booker requested Ellison’s written testimony, “seeking insights on the proposed sale of Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount’s parallel bid, and asking Ellison to address concerns about political interference in the merger review process,” according to a press release from the senators. However, they said, “Ellison’s response failed to address these issues.” Those included questions about whether Ellison had ever donated money to Trump directly or indirectly and whether there had been any communications regarding a personal benefit to Trump with a potential Paramount-WBD merger.
In the letter to Ellison, the senators noted that last week, Paramount Skydance announced that it certified “substantial compliance” with the Department of Justice’s Dec. 23, 2025, Second Request for Information, commencing a 10-day waiting period for DOJ’s review. “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,'” the senators wrote. “However, we can assure you that it raises significant competition concerns that the Senate has not had an opportunity to examine. The pattern of evasion, combined with Paramount’s apparent confidence that a politically sensitive transaction will clear without difficulty, warrants serious scrutiny.”
Last summer, Trump claimed he had a side deal with Skydance under which the new owners of the merged Paramount Skydance would contribute $20 million in advertising, public service announcements and “similar programming” that promote causes he favors. That would be in addition to Paramount Global’s $16 million payment to settle Trump’s lawsuit accusing “60 Minutes” of deceptively editing a pre-election interview with Kamala Harris. Ellison has declined to confirm or deny that such a “side deal” exists.
In December, Trump blasted the Ellisons over “60 Minutes,” writing in a Dec. 16 post on his Truth Social account, “For those people that think I am close with the new owners of CBS, please understand that 60 Minutes has treated me far worse since the so-called ‘takeover,’ than they have ever treated me before. If they are friends, I’d hate to see my enemies!” In an interview with NBC News earlier this month, Trump — after saying previously he would be “involved” in a review of the Netflix-WB deal — said “I’ve decided I shouldn’t be involved. The Justice Department will handle it.”
The senators asked Ellison to acknowledge receipt of their Feb. 19 letter and answer a list of questions “probing reported allegations that he used personal relationships behind the scenes to improperly influence approval of the merger” by Feb. 26.
The senators directed Paramount to preserve the following documents:
Here are some of the questions the senator asked Ellison to provide written answers to:
The letter was sent to Ellison by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.). The full text of the letter is at this link.
A spokesperson for Paramount Skydance declined to immediately provide comment.
On Tuesday, Warner Bros. Discovery said it will engage in discussions with Paramount for a seven-day window to “seek clarity” on its “best and final offer” in its hostile takeover effort. That negotiating period, which Netflix granted approval for, ends Feb. 23. Paramount’s most recent offer was $30/share; WBD said it was opening talks to see if Paramount will officially bump up the bid over $31/share. At the same time, WBD said it remained committed to its $83 billion deal with Netflix for now and recommended shareholders vote in favor of that pact at a March 20 special meeting.
Ellison had previously declined an invitation to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights. The subcommittee held a hearing Feb. 3, where Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Warner Bros. Discovery chief revenue and strategy officer Bruce Campbell testified amid sharp questioning.
Following the hearing, Sen. Booker requested Ellison’s written testimony, “seeking insights on the proposed sale of Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount’s parallel bid, and asking Ellison to address concerns about political interference in the merger review process,” according to a press release from the senators. However, they said, “Ellison’s response failed to address these issues.” Those included questions about whether Ellison had ever donated money to Trump directly or indirectly and whether there had been any communications regarding a personal benefit to Trump with a potential Paramount-WBD merger.
In the letter to Ellison, the senators noted that last week, Paramount Skydance announced that it certified “substantial compliance” with the Department of Justice’s Dec. 23, 2025, Second Request for Information, commencing a 10-day waiting period for DOJ’s review. “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,'” the senators wrote. “However, we can assure you that it raises significant competition concerns that the Senate has not had an opportunity to examine. The pattern of evasion, combined with Paramount’s apparent confidence that a politically sensitive transaction will clear without difficulty, warrants serious scrutiny.”
Last summer, Trump claimed he had a side deal with Skydance under which the new owners of the merged Paramount Skydance would contribute $20 million in advertising, public service announcements and “similar programming” that promote causes he favors. That would be in addition to Paramount Global’s $16 million payment to settle Trump’s lawsuit accusing “60 Minutes” of deceptively editing a pre-election interview with Kamala Harris. Ellison has declined to confirm or deny that such a “side deal” exists.
In December, Trump blasted the Ellisons over “60 Minutes,” writing in a Dec. 16 post on his Truth Social account, “For those people that think I am close with the new owners of CBS, please understand that 60 Minutes has treated me far worse since the so-called ‘takeover,’ than they have ever treated me before. If they are friends, I’d hate to see my enemies!” In an interview with NBC News earlier this month, Trump — after saying previously he would be “involved” in a review of the Netflix-WB deal — said “I’ve decided I shouldn’t be involved. The Justice Department will handle it.”
The senators asked Ellison to acknowledge receipt of their Feb. 19 letter and answer a list of questions “probing reported allegations that he used personal relationships behind the scenes to improperly influence approval of the merger” by Feb. 26.
The senators directed Paramount to preserve the following documents:
Here are some of the questions the senator asked Ellison to provide written answers to: