Corruption Eruption

On Friday, Netflix made an $82.7 billion offer to buy Warner Bros./Discovery.  Soon after, Trump said that he would personally get involved with the decision whether or not to approve the sale.  At first, that didn’t mean a whole lot other than it was so Trump, needing to very inappropriately impose himself and put his name on everything, putting his fingers on a decision that is usually left up to unbiased regulatory agencies.
 
Then came the story that Paramount Skydance will try to top Netflix’s offer, and upped their hostile bid to $108 billion.  Okay, not unexpected, but even at a higher number they were considered pretty much the also-ran. 
 
But then came the story that Paramount’s offer turns out to come with a partner -- Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's private equity firm.  But also, unmentioned in Paramount's press release, others would be involved, as well:  sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.  (Shocking, I know, that they were left unmentioned.)
 
In making its case to Warner Bros./Discovery shareholders, Paramount says it has a smoother path to regulatory approval than does Netflix. For the record, “Smoother path” is such a charming phrase when that path includes the son-in-law of the U.S. president.
 
But it gets worse.
 
Because then comes the story reported by The Guardian that Trump and billionaire Larry Ellison, one of the wealthiest people in the world, and a major supporter of Trump  -- as well as being the main shareholder of Paramount Skydance and father of David Ellison who is the company’s president.  It must be noted here that Warner Bros./Disovery is the parent company of CNN.  And what The Guardian reports the two men discussed is "having CNN anchors Trump doesn't like fired if Paramount Skydance is able to buy Warner Bros./Discovery.
 
With Jared Kusher's private equity firm, of course.  And the unmentioned sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.
 
P.S.  Warner Bros./Discovery also owns HBO.  Which airs Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, that has been relentlessly scathing to the Trump administration.
 
No word yet if Trump and Larry Ellison discussed HBO…
 
Which brings us back to –
 
“Trump said that he would personally get involved with the decision whether or not to approve the sale.   At first, that didn’t mean a whole lot…”
 
Hey, it turns out, it does mean a whole lot.  Go figure.

Who would have imagined that in a Trump fascist world of corruption where controlling the news and media, along with the hiring and firing of personnel, is at the forefront of its most basic voracious needs, it would have come to this?