CNN
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Amid an antitrust battle with the Justice Department, global entertainment company Live Nation is adding one of President Trump’s closest advisors to its board of directors.
Richard Grenell, who is both Trump’s presidential envoy for special missions and the newly installed president of the Kennedy Center, was named to the Live Nation board on Tuesday.
Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, has been trying to fend off a massive lawsuit filed last year by the US government and 30 state and district attorneys general. The prosecutors say Live Nation has abused its concert industry dominance and should be broken up.
Antitrust advocates immediately connected the Grenell appointment to Live Nation’s ongoing efforts to defeat the suit.
“Ticketmaster just put Trump advisor Richard Grenell on its board of directors to get out from under the Antitrust Division’s lawsuit against the company,” Matt Stoller wrote on X. Stoller is the research director for the American Economic Liberties Project, a nonprofit group that has urged the Trump administration to continue the lawsuit.
Trump’s transactional nature and track record of using government power to help friends and hurt foes have led some companies to seek cozy relationships with the president and his inner circle, whether through corporate donations, CEO photo ops, board appointments or other methods.
Live Nation, however, said Grenell’s career experience will “help support Live Nation’s mission to bring more live music to the world, while also advocating for industry reforms that protect both fans and artists.”
Grenell once expressed interest in running for governor in California, and has numerous Hollywood connections, but he doesn’t bring extensive entertainment industry experience to the board. He served in multiple diplomatic and intelligence positions throughout Trump’s first presidential term. He has also been a paid contributor to both Fox News and Newsmax, where he stood out for his combative posture toward Trump critics.
Live Nation also faces a criminal probe by the Justice Department into the handling of concert cancellations at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
When the probe was reported last week, Live Nation denied any wrongdoing and said it would defend itself “vigorously” if the government brought any charges.
