Makan Delrahim, the chief legal counsel for Paramount Skydance, has suggested that “antisemitic views” may be fueling opposition to the studio’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Delrahim gave an interview with the Los Angeles Times in which he voiced his displeasure with the sentiments behind the opposition.
“Politics is part of life. It’s part of the beautiful process of democracy,” Delrahim said. “Generally, we are very empathetic to the folks in Hollywood, but this transaction will actually create more and better and exciting jobs. David [Ellison] is an absolute lover of films; he’s a filmmaker himself. For the first time, you are getting an owner who comes from the creative side.”
“Let’s be honest. There’s a lot of fear-mongering, particularly from people in Washington, D.C. They are running a political campaign. Some of these people are trying to inflict harm on this transaction really because of their own antisemitic views. Regulators and law enforcement officials will see right through that,” he added.
Delrahim did not elaborate as to who opposing the merger has “antisemitic views.”
According to TheWrap, the deal will be approaching a close this July when the European Commission makes its decision on Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery’s pending $110 billion merger.
Under its Phase 1 investigation, the EC has 25 working days to decide whether to clear a merger, request remedies or move to a Phase 2 investigation.
During this investigation, the regulator typically requests information from the merging companies or third parties, which can include a questionnaire seeking views on the merger, as well as other contacts with market participants, aimed at clarifying the conditions for competition in a given market or the role of the merged companies in that market.
Recently, over 200 journalists, academics, and filmmakers signed a letter opposing the Paramount Skydance takeover of CNN following the former’s purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery. The letter from the Freedom of the Press Foundation argued that Paramount taking control of CNN will lead to “improper political meddling” from CEO David Ellison, per HuffPo, citing the reported changes at CBS.
“News segments critical of Trump policies have been pulled; revered producers and reporters have quit rather than be censored; shows Trump dislikes, like ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,’ have been cancelled; and CBS Evening News has taken to airing flattering features on Trump officials, like one calling Secretary of State Marco Rubio the ‘ultimate Florida man,’” the letter said.