OPINION: AG Ford’s Netflix Ties Raise Questions About Paramount Lawsuit by Billy Walker Billy Walker

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is helping California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta lead a 12-state lawsuit to stop Paramount from buying Warner Bros. Discovery. He says the deal would give one company too much control over movies and cable channels.

Netflix has been one of the loudest opponents of the merger. Weeks before Ford joined Nevada into the lawsuit, Netflix board member Susan Rice donated to his campaign. Netflix is also a major sponsor of the Attorney General Alliance, a group Ford used to chair.

The pattern of Netflix’s political donating is harder to dismiss. In the 2024 election cycle, Netflix employees donated about $4.4 million in political contributions, with 99% going to Democrats. Similar numbers showed up in earlier cycles. Meanwhile, all 12 states in the lawsuit are led by Democratic attorneys general, including Ford.

That sequence raises an obvious question. An attorney general takes a high-profile action that benefits a company with financial ties to his political campaign, former organization and his political party. People are going to ask whether this is only about competition law.

Ford is asking Nevadans to trust that his office is acting only in the public interest. He should explain these connections clearly. Until he does, the questions will remain. Is this lawsuit really just about the law, or does Netflix have a seat at the table?