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FCC’s Brendan Carr Hit With Ethics Complaints Over Paramount Gifts
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TheWrap
Democracy Defenders Fund and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) have filed complaints with the Office of Government Ethics, the FCC’s Office of Inspector General and the FCC’s ethics office, arguing that luxury tickets provided by Paramount violated federal ethics rules or, at minimum, created the appearance of conflicts of interest.
According to the complaints, the gifts raise questions about whether FCC officials can impartially oversee regulatory matters involving Paramount, including the company’s proposed merger with Warner Bros.
Career FCC ethics officials have consistently cleared Democrat and Republican FCC officials alike to attend this event over the course of many years.
The FCC previously told ProPublica that agency ethics officials reviewed and approved the gifts under applicable federal ethics rules.
The ethics complaints arrive as Paramount seeks regulatory approval for its proposed merger with Warner Bros.