Former Trump antitrust chief joins Paramount after merger with rivals

Head of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division During President Trump’s first term, Makan Delrahim joined Paramount Global on Thursday after a merger with rival Skydance two months ago.

Drahim will serve as the company’s chief legal officer starting October 6 and will oversee all “legal, regulatory, compliance and public policy matters”, including oversight of the Paramount government relations team.

“We are delighted to welcome Makan to the Paramount leadership team. His long-term collaboration with the Skydance team has provided him with a unique perspective and a solid foundation for our work as we envision the future of Paramount,” David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, said in a statement.

Ellison added: “Makan brings a strategic mindset and has a good track record of navigating complex, cross-sectoral challenges – these qualities will be of great significance as we shape Paramount’s next chapter and bring ongoing value to our investors, partners and audiences.”

Over the past few years, Drahim has become one of Ellison’s closest consultants.

After taking office in the first Trump administration, Drahim went to Latham and Watkins LLC, where he was a partner. The law firm provided legal counsel for Skydance during Paramount collection. The $8 billion merger was completed in August.

A pair of House Democrats, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ) and Jamie Raskin (M.D.), investigated Paramount’s merger with Skydance and how both sides got approval from the Trump administration.

Paramount agreed to pay the president $16 million in early July to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against CBS News in a “60 Minutes” interview, which the news outlet interviewed former Vice President Harris.

Two Democrats also expressed concern about Trump’s “disturbing” statement in July, indicating that he hopes to receive an additional $20 million in advertising and public service advertising commitments from Skydance.

The Democratic Senator wrote to Paramount at the time, asking “Any arrangement of you or Skydance will provide compensation, advertising or promotions that will help President Trump, his family, his presidential library or other executive officers in any way?”

Paramount denied reaching an agreement with either party to the president.

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