FCC Chair Brendan Carr Reportedly Accepted over $75,000 in Gifts From Paramount Since 2017. Then He Voted to Approve Its Megamerger
Watchdogs say 7 of 10 commissioners who served since 2016 accepted tickets worth more than $260,000 while Paramount merger reviews were pending.
- Two government watchdog groups filed complaints demanding investigations into whether Federal Communications Commission members violated ethics rules by accepting luxury gala tickets from Paramount as it seeks approval for its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
- A recent ProPublica investigation revealed that FCC officials have long accepted tickets to the Kennedy Center honors gala from CBS or its parent company, Paramount, with seven commissioners receiving gifts worth more than $260,000 since 2016.
- FCC Chair Brendan Carr and Commissioner Olivia Trusty accepted gala tickets worth $12,390 and over $12,000 respectively, drawing scrutiny because they recently voted on or reviewed major business decisions involving Paramount.
- The Democracy Defenders Fund, led by Norman Eisen, filed grievances on Thursday requesting that Carr and Trusty repay the "fair market value" of the gifts and that Carr be disqualified from the merger review process.
- Paramount defended the invitations as a decades-long "CBS practice to invite government officials from both parties," while the company recently agreed to pause its merger with Skydance until litigation resolves or until June 1, 2027.
13 Articles
13 Articles
FCC Chair Brendan Carr reportedly accepted over $75,000 in gifts from Paramount since 2017. Then he voted to approve its megamerger
Two government watchdog groups have filed ethics complaints asking for investigations into whether members of the Federal Communications Commission broke ethics rules by accepting luxury gala tickets from Paramount. The complaints come as Paramount seeks government approval for its $111 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. The complaints, filed by Democracy Defenders Fund and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, point…
Trump FCC chief in hot water after getting caught taking luxury gifts from Paramount
Two government watchdog groups have demanded investigations into whether Federal Communications Commission members violated ethics requirements by accepting luxury gala tickets from Paramount as the company sought government approval for its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.The com...
FCC Commissioners Took Expensive Gifts From Paramount, Ethics Complaints Allege
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and commissioner Olivia Trusty attended the Kennedy Center Honors with tickets gifted by Paramount worth thousands, the groups allege. Two days before the event, Warner Bros. accepted a $110 billion merger bid with Paramount.
ProPublica
FCC Commissioners Face Ethics Complaints for Taking Luxury Gifts From Paramount
Citing a ProPublica report on Paramount providing luxury Kennedy Center gala tickets to FCC officials, the complaints note that commissioners accepted the gifts while the FCC was reviewing or about to review megamergers involving Paramount.
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