Two government watchdog organizations have filed ethics complaints demanding investigations into whether members of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) violated rules by accepting luxury gala tickets from Paramount. These gifts were given as Paramount sought government approval for its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros.

The complaints, submitted by Democracy Defenders Fund and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), reference a recent ProPublica investigation revealing that CBS or its parent company, now Paramount, have provided FCC commissioners with tickets to the Kennedy Center honors gala for years. The television network sponsors this event.

Commissioners accepted these gifts while the FCC was reviewing or preparing to review significant Paramount business decisions, including two major mergers. Commissioner Olivia Trusty’s latest financial disclosure reported receiving two tickets to the December 2025 honors gala from Paramount, valued at over $12,000. Additionally, seven of the ten commissioners serving since 2016 accepted tickets worth more than $260,000, according to a ProPublica analysis of ethics disclosures.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s financial statements show he has reported accepting honors gala tickets from CBS or its parent company eight times since his 2017 appointment, totaling over $75,000 in gifts. According to Kennedy Center guidelines, such seats are sold for $125,000 each.

The Democracy Defenders Fund stated in its complaint, “The federal gift regulations and the gratuities statute exist to ensure that government decisions are made on the merits, free from the influence of private benefits. The public must have confidence that the FCC’s merger review process is not compromised by self-dealing or the appearance of impropriety.”

CREW expressed concern that gifts from businesses under FCC regulation and involved in billion-dollar mergers pose serious threats to the integrity of FCC operations.

Sherman, speaking on behalf of the watchdog groups, said, “Government officials have the power to make decisions that impact huge swaths of the American people. With this tremendous power comes a higher ethical standard that apparently wasn’t met.”

Sources