Senator’s Letters Offer Preview Of Democrats’ Plans To Investigate FCC, Big Tech And Perhaps Big Mergers

The flurry of letters that Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) fired off on Thursday may be just a glimpse of the scrutiny facing corporate CEOs and others when Democrats take the majority in January.

Blumenthal, set to chair the Senate subcommittee on investigations, made public numerous letters he sent off to various figures, including corporate donors to Donald Trump‘s new ballroom, which include Amazon, Apple and Comcast and as well as FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.

In many cases, Blumenthal’s letters were repeats of his previous requests for information. But Democrats in the minority lacked subpoena power or the ability to schedule their own official congressional inquiries. That is about to change.

In his letter to Carr, Blumenthal wrote that even though Democrats have been investigating Trump’s attacks on the First Amendment and how the FCC’s actions “erode and undermine freedom of speech and freedom of the press and bear on the laws governing media consolidation,” the agency has “failed to meaningfully respond.” He gave Carr until Nov. 30 to begin producing records, or the committee would have to consider “alternative measures” to obtain compliance when the Democrats have the majority.

An FCC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

His letters to donors of Trump’s White House ballroom requests documents from CEOs about their donations, a list that also includes Meta and Google, as well as Echostar Chairman Charlie Ergen and Ike Perlmutter. Again, Blumenthal noted that companies and other donors failed to adequately respond, with warnings of further action after Jan. 4.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), set to become chairman of the House Oversight Committee, already has identified ballroom donors as one area of scrutiny with the Democratic majority.

Other areas in entertainment and media that may be ripe for Democratic scrutiny:

The Kennedy Center: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is set to become the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. As member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, Whitehouse already has been conducting an investigation of the Trump-controlled arts institutions’ finances and renovation plans. Like Blumenthal, he has warned that center officials have not turned over requested documents and responded to other requests. A lawsuit brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) is in the discovery phase, with the current legal battle over the DOJ’s effort to withhold White House communications on the center by citing executive privilege.

Mergers: Democrats have already seized on testimony from Roger P. Alford, a former top official in the DOJ Antitrust Division, who last December alleged that enforcement had been politicized. The division has denied the claim, but a number of transactions may be in for further review.

As the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) held an unofficial hearing on the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger and was a consistent critic, even questioning the deal reached by state attorneys general to settle their challenge of the transaction. A spokesperson for Booker did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Booker warned in September that he “will watch this merger, and others, closely to make sure it does not threaten competition, raise prices, or invite corruption.”

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), recovering from a stroke, railed against the merger, as Paramount’s CEO David Ellison hosted a dinner for the Trump White House, as well as CBS News correspondents.

He wrote on X, Ellison and the information oligarchs should enjoy it while they can because when Democrats win power we are going to break these anti-consumer, anti-free speech media conglomerates into pieces.”

Democrats are expected to “use their oversight tools aggressively, beginning with laying the foundation right now during the lame duck period,” Peter Rechter, partner at Wiley Rein and a former top Democratic oversight official, said in a memo earlier this week.

The big question is to what extent Democrats will follow up on previous vows, given the host of other investigative priorities. Blumenthal’s letters, for instance, also included those involved in Trump-connected crypto deals and ICE immigration raids and enforcement.