How Trump intervened in the DOJ case against Live Nation
The Department of Justice spent more than a decade building a case accusing Live Nation of illegally dominating the live event industry by thwarting competition to keep ticket prices high. But according to a Wall Street Journal investigation, President Trump urged senior DOJ officials to settle the case just days before it was set to go to trial. Ali Rogin discussed more with Rebecca Ballhaus.
In a major antitrust case against Live Nation, the Department of Justice had been building a case for over a decade, accusing the concert giant of monopolizing the live event industry and keeping ticket prices high. However, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation, President Trump intervened in the case, urging senior officials to settle just days before it was set to go to trial.
This came after Trump met with Live Nation's CEO in the Oval Office. Despite the settlement, most state attorneys general who had joined the lawsuit refused to sign on, citing the terms as too favorable. The case, initially brought by the Biden administration, aimed to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster. Trump's administration had previously announced a crackdown on ticket scalping and exploitative pricing in the concert industry.
The investigation revealed that Live Nation hired a law firm with connections to DOJ leadership to facilitate communication with the president. While the DOJ didn't acknowledge Trump's intervention, Live Nation acknowledged appealing to senior DOJ leadership, a tactic previously unheard of in previous administrations. The settlement, however, left Live Nation in a precarious position.
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