Paramount CEO David Ellison on Tuesday said he believes the opposition to his company’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is driven by concerns about the future of CNN under his leadership, citing “speculation about my politics, my loyalties, my intentions.”A total of 12 states, including California, have sued to block the deal, arguing that it would stifle competition in film distribution and cable TV. The Writers Guild of America has also taken legal action to stop the acquisition. Last month, Paramount agreed to pause the deal until June 2027 at the latest, while the litigation is pending.In an opinion piece titled “The Critics Are Wrong About My Politics,” published in The New York Times, Ellison argued the lawsuits are tied to his potential control of CNN under the merger.“I believe this fight is not really about market share. If it were, it wouldn’t have been reviewed or approved by regulators reflecting 65 countries, including the United States, the European Union and China. I believe a plainer worry sits beneath the briefs and the news releases: the news. The issue is whether I can be trusted as a steward of Warner’s CNN,” Ellison said.In an opinion piece published in The New York Times, Ellison argued the lawsuits are tied to his potential control of CNN under the merger.Evan Agostini/Invision/APEllison — the son of Larry Ellison, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump — suggested that despite “speculation about my politics, my loyalties, my intentions,” he is an independent thinker, claiming he has voted for both Democrats and Republicans.“When it comes to our news operations, I do not aspire to lead these companies to bend their newsrooms to my views. I believe that news should be based on facts and truth,” he said. “Great news organizations like CNN and CBS News are here to tell it straight down the middle. That requires newsrooms that reflect the whole world, not one side of it. And it requires independence.”He added, “Our journalists will continue to answer to the facts and to all the people they serve — not to any party or cause. These were founding principles for both CNN and CBS News, for legends like Ted Turner and Edward R. Murrow, and it is exactly that kind of independence that has always fueled the greatness of ‘60 Minutes.’”Despite Ellison’s claims, though, the changes at CBS News following Paramount’s acquisition of Skydance, including the decision to install Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief and the firings at “60 Minutes,” have contributed to fears about what CNN would look like under his control.Some of the journalists who departed the storied newsmagazine have alleged editorial interference by CBS News executives in their reporting, claims which the network has denied.Ellison also threw an event “honoring the Trump White House” as Paramount waited for the Justice Department to give regulatory approval of its Warner Bros. acquisition. Additionally, he attended the president’s State of the Union address and even joined the UFC fight the president hosted at the White House.