A group of Democratic senators is threatening an investigation of Paramount as they fired off a letter to CEO David Ellison, seeking information on the company’s contacts with the Trump administration and the president himself over its attempts to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.
The letter — from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) — asks Ellison to preserve a trove of documents related not just to the merger proposal but to CBS news and content decisions. Ellison’s Skydance acquired CBS parent Paramount last year.
The senators also said that they were gathering the material for a “potential investigation.”
They wrote, “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 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.”
They added, “The pattern of evasion, combined with Paramount’s apparent confidence that a politically sensitive transaction will clear without difficulty warrants serious scrutiny. 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 cited Ellison’s decision to decline to testify in person at a hearing earlier this month on Netflix‘s deal to purchase Warner Bros., with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos appearing before the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee. The lawmakers also noted that the top Democrat on the committee, Booker, had posed a series of questions to Ellison that went unanswered in his reply.
Paramount is making a competing bid for all of Warner Bros. Discovery, in a battle for the prized assets with Netflix. The senators cannot block a deal that is in the hands of the DOJ, but their letter is a signal that Democrats will pursue an investigation should they retake the Senate in November’s midterms.
Among other things, the lawmakers are seeking Paramount communications with Trump, members of his family, and individuals associated or affiliated with the president. They also want documents related to lobbyists and others advocating for the transaction, and donations made to Trump or to his PACs or other causes. They also want records “related to news and content decisions at CBS that reflect real or perceived influence by any member of the Trump Administration or any of the lobbyists or other agents involved with the proposed transaction.”
A Paramount spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In his letter to Booker, Ellison warned of the impacts of the Netflix-WB merger on competition and theatrical distribution. In his testimony, Sarandos warned of severe cost cutting should Paramount acquire the prized assets.
Trump initially said that he would be involved in determining whether the DOJ gave the greenlight to Paramount or Netflix, something that was viewed as giving Ellison given the president’s tight relationship with his father, Larry Ellison. But Trump more recently said that he would not be involved and would leave it to the DOJ.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump said that “there is a theory that one of the companies is too big, and it shouldn’t be allowed to do it. And the other company is saying something else.” He didn’t specify the companies.
“They are beating the hell out of each other, and there will be a winner,” Trump said.
