Oregon’s Attorney General drops bid to postpone Paramount and Warner Bros. merger.

Oregon’s Attorney General Dan Rayfield had been pursuing documents from Paramount regarding its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. He even requested a state circuit court judge to postpone the deal’s closure by 60 days to allow his office time to review the materials. However, reports indicate that he has now retracted his civil investigative demand for the records.

Paramount is undoubtedly relieved by Rayfield’s decision to withdraw his request, but the Attorney General’s office is not entirely satisfied with the outcome. Jenny Hansson, Rayfield’s communications director, stated that “Paramount made it clear that they weren’t going to comply with the investigative demand, and that they think they’re above the law. We’re not going to let them waste Oregonians’ resources on these games. We’ve withdrawn the motion to consider our next steps.”

Rayfield was particularly interested in documents related to Paramount’s lobbying efforts, which were referred to as “Project Warrior.” The company is led by David and Larry Ellison, prominent supporters of Donald Trump who maintain a close relationship with the White House. During the proceedings, the President notably remarked that Netflix, Paramount’s main competitor for Warner Bros. Discovery, would “pay the consequences” if it did not remove Trump critic Susan Rice from its board.

While Oregon’s attempts to halt the merger have hit a snag, other states like California and New York, as well as the UK, are contemplating actions to block the deal on antitrust grounds. The Hollywood community has also voiced its opposition to the merger.