Dozens of protesters, including members of Congress, gathered along the National Mall on Thursday to protest an intimate dinner hosted by Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison. The event, described as a celebration of the First Amendment and honoring the Trump White House and CBS White House Correspondents, was attended by Donald Trump.
Paramount Under Fire
Paramount has faced sharp criticism for the dinner, which critics say highlights the cozy relationship between the Ellisons and the White House. This comes as the Trump administration weighs whether to approve the company's $110bn merger with CNN parent company WarnerBros Discovery. The dinner precedes Saturday's White House correspondents' dinner, which Trump will attend. His defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is expected to sit at one of the many tables bought by CBS News for the event.
Earlier Thursday, WBD shareholders voted overwhelmingly to approve the merger, which still requires approval from the Department of Justice and European regulators.
Congressional Criticism
US Representative Jamie Raskin, a vocal critic of the Ellisons' ownership of CBS News, called the event a lavish oligarch's dinner for Donald Trump. We are gathered here tonight because in the building behind us, David Ellison is hosting a dinner to honor President Trump, a dinner designed to cement the Ellisons to the president in their years-running corrupt merger scheme, Raskin said.
Raskin argued that the merger, which would bring numerous television networks under Ellison control, was crafted to consolidate old and new media in the interests of the Maga movement and the Donald Trump family.
Becca Balint, Democratic Vermont lawmaker and a member of the House antitrust subcommittee, added: Right now, David Ellison is probably raising a glass to his friend, his supporter, his patron, Donald Trump. Think about that. We are out here demanding accountability, while inside they are celebrating power and corruption.
Hope to Block Merger
Speakers encouraged the crowd not to give up hope on blocking the merger. Many antitrust experts view a lawsuit from a coalition of state attorneys general as the most likely vehicle for doing so.
Norm Eisen, founder of Democracy Defenders Action, said the dinner honoring the Trump administration resembles a celebration of the First Amendment the same way a book burning is a celebration of the written word. That has nothing to do with celebrating the First Amendment, he added. You all are celebrating the First Amendment by being here to block the merger.
