FCC Members Investigated for Ethics Violations Over Gala Tickets

Two government watchdog groups have called for investigations into possible ethics violations by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) members. The focus is on whether these officials accepted tickets to luxury galas from Paramount while the company sought government approval for a $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The Democracy Defenders Fund and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington have filed complaints citing a recent ProPublica investigation. This investigation detailed how CBS, or its parent company Paramount, has provided FCC commissioners with tickets to the Kennedy Center honors gala for years. These gifts were accepted during crucial reviews of significant business moves by Paramount, including two major mergers.

Commissioner Olivia Trusty’s financial disclosures reveal that Paramount gave her two tickets to the December 2025 gala, valued at over $12,000 in total. Trusty, along with another commissioner, voted to approve Paramount’s merger with Skydance. The ProPublica analysis showed that seven out of ten commissioners since 2016 accepted gala tickets worth over $260,000.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s records indicate that he received gala tickets from CBS or its parent company eight times since his 2017 appointment, totaling more than $75,000 in gifts. Carr, who also supported the Paramount-Skydance merger, was noted to have sat in a private skybox with Paramount executives during one of the galas. These prime seats were reportedly sold for $125,000 each, according to the Kennedy Center.

Carr’s latest disclosure states he accepted tickets worth $12,390 for the 2025 gala. There is a disparity observed between these ticket values and the skybox prices, yet Carr declined to clarify this when approached by ProPublica.

The agency released Carr’s financial disclosure late on a Friday, a significant delay after ProPublica requested it. The document shows it was certified by the agency on June 22.

Federal ethics rules prohibit accepting gifts from entities engaged with, regulated by, or seeking decisions from an agency. The Democracy Defenders Fund noted, “The public must have confidence that the FCC’s merger review process is unbiased.”

Requests for comments from Carr, Trusty, and the FCC were not answered. An FCC spokesperson previously informed ProPublica that ethics officers cleared the acceptance of these tickets as consistent with ethics laws. Paramount’s communications chief stated that inviting government officials to the Kennedy Center had been a longstanding CBS tradition.

The FCC is overseeing the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger as one of the final hurdles for this significant consolidation. The merger would unite major entities like Paramount+ and HBO Max, along with other major networks.

Ethics experts indicated that Carr and Trusty compromised FCC impartiality by accepting tickets, arguing they should not partake in the impending Paramount merger decisions. The Democracy Defenders Fund urged the federal Office of Government Ethics, FCC’s inspector general, and FCC’s ethics office to investigate potential rule or law violations by Carr and Trusty. They should return the gifts’ “fair market value,” and Carr should be barred from the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger decision.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, led by Donald K. Sherman, pushed for the FCC inspector general to investigate these luxury gifts. Their letter expressed concern about potential threats to FCC integrity. Sherman emphasized that government officials carry significant power that necessitates a high ethical standard.

The proposed merger has encountered legal resistance, with states like California and New York filing lawsuits to block it under antitrust laws. Groups such as the Writers Guild of America have also filed challenges. Paramount has agreed to pause the merger until the litigation resolves or until June 1, 2027, whichever occurs first.