FCC Commissioners Should Be Investigated for Accepting Gifts from Paramount
FCC Commissioners Should Be Investigated for Accepting Gifts from Paramount to Approve Merger
Corrupt FCC Commissioners CAUGHT Taking Gifts From Company They Just Approved!
FCC Commissioners Must Be Investigated for Accepting Gifts from Paramount
FCC Chairman Carr and Commissioner Trusty may have violated ethics rules by potentially accepting thousands of dollars in tickets to the Kennedy Center Honors gala.
Per the above article: The FCC Chairman Carr and Commissioner Trusty may have violated ethics rules by accepting thousands of dollars in tickets to the Kennedy Center Honors gala
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democracy Defenders Fund filed a complaint (opens in a new window) with the Federal Communications Commission and the Office of Government Ethics last week requesting an investigation into whether FCC commissioners engaged in unethical conduct by accepting free attendance to the Kennedy Center Honors provided by Paramount.
The complaint notes that FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty reported receiving free tickets to the event and that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr was present in a private box alongside Paramount CEO David Ellison. At the time of filing, Chairman Carr’s report was not publicly available. The FCC subsequently released Chairman Carr’s annual financial disclosure report confirming that he also accepted free tickets to attend the Kennedy Center Honors from Paramount. The complaint also notes that their attendance creates a conflict of interest, and expressly calls for Chairman Carr to recuse himself from further participation in matters concerning Paramount, including the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger proceedings.
In December 2025, President Trump hosted the annual Kennedy Center Honors gala, which is sponsored by CBS and its parent company, Paramount. Months prior to the gala, Trusty and Carr cast a vote to approve Paramount’s controversial $8 billion merger with Skydance. Paramount provided Trusty with $12,000 tickets to the gala, according to ethics disclosure records. The company also provided Carr with free attendance in Paramount’s private skybox — which Chairman Carr reported as being worth over $12,000, but the Kennedy Center website listed as being valued at $125,000 — where he sat with Paramount CEO David Ellison.
The complaint raises concerns that the two commissioners violated federal ethics rules that strictly ban employees from accepting gifts from parties it regulates. The gala coincided with Paramount’s attempt to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, a consolidation of media power that requires FCC approval. Carr and Trusty’s attendance presents a clear conflict of interest as regulators of the conglomerate. The complaint further points to statements made by Chairman Carr that suggest that he may have prejudged the merger and should be banned from participating in any decisions that relate to the merger.
“Chairman Carr and Commissioner Trusty’s attendance at the Kennedy Center Honors raises immense questions about their impartiality in matters concerning Paramount,” said Virginia Canter, chief counsel and director of anti-corruption and ethics at Democracy Defenders Fund. “This isn’t just about a fancy gala, it’s about restoring the fundamental democratic principle that regulatory decisions are based on the public interest, not corporate access.”
Read the full complaint here (opens in a new window).
