At a glance
Top DOJ officials approved the Paramount-Warner Bros merger before staff lawyers, who were leaning toward filing an antitrust lawsuit, could formally object. The decision surprised investigators and raised transparency concerns.
Senior DOJ officials approved the Paramount-Warner Bros merger before the department's staff lawyers—who were leaning toward filing an antitrust lawsuit—could formally lodge their objection. The approval circumvented the normal process where staff recommendations reach decision-makers before final rulings. Investigators said they were surprised by the timing and the decision itself, suggesting the staff position against the deal wasn't resolved before leadership moved forward.
This is a collapse of institutional review. Staff lawyers investigate mergers and make recommendations; leadership decides. But here, leadership appears to have decided before staff could formally present their case. It looks like the decision was made first and the process was compressed afterward to accommodate it. That's the opposite of how antitrust review normally works. The merger now proceeds despite internal DOJ skepticism about its competitive effects.
Citation trail
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