The president and his administration are eagerly anticipating the transfer of CNN to their ally, David Ellison. For the past decade, Trump has fixated on CNN, aiming to have the network sold to a close associate. During his first term, he attempted to place CNN in the hands of Rupert Murdoch.
Now, the president is close to achieving this objective with David Ellison’s acquisition of CNN through the purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery.
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With the Department of Justice unlikely to probe this significant media consolidation, Congress members are stepping in to investigate the assurances made to Donald Trump to secure his approval of the deal.
Leading this inquiry, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, have reached out to David Ellison, seeking clarity on his interactions with the Trump administration.
The Democratic representatives wrote:
President Trump expressed his intent to intervene in the proposed Netflix acquisition of Warner, indicating he would “be involved in that decision.” This suggests to Paramount Skydance that gaining his favor could sway the Warner sale outcome. “[A] person close to Trump said the president will want Paramount and Netflix to compete for his approval of a deal.” Even FCC Chairman Brendan Carr—despite having limited authority over the acquisition—publicly supported the deal in favor of Paramount Skydance.
You appear confident about your success, publicly asserting that Paramount Skydance will obtain “the necessary clearances quickly and efficiently,” likely due to political influence from the Trump Administration.
The congressmen also questioned what Trump stands to gain from the new CNN ownership, the involvement of foreign financing in the purchase, and the concerning consolidation of media and film industries under Ellison’s control.
