Senators demand AG Pam Bondi recuse herself from Warner Bros. antitrust review

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said Wednesday that the regulatory review of Warner’s deal with Netflix has begun, even as Paramount mounts a hostile takeover bid.

Two senators are now coming forward and pressing Attorney General Pam Bondi to recuse herself from the review of the deal.

Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal say the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent, has been “surrounded by a cesspool of corruption and political favoritism.”

And “the corruption concerns related to this deal extend to your office,” the senators asserted in a letter to Bondi on Wednesday.

The letter, obtained by CNN, noted that Bondi’s previous employer, the lobbying firm Ballard Partners, has been hired by both Paramount and Netflix as the companies seek Trump administration approval.

Disclosure forms indicate that Ballard has been representing Paramount all year long and has been working with Netflix since March.

“The DOJ already faces allegations that Ballard has inappropriately influenced the Trump Administration’s antitrust enforcement decisions,” Warren and Blumenthal wrote.

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