My open letter to David Ellison

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I read your recent essay in the New York Times with great interest. Contrary to what some have said, I am glad the Times gave you the space to publish your essay. You are doing a lot of damage to democracy, so it’s nice to finally hear from you.

Though I am a lawyer, I cannot speak to the legal objections to your purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery. You see, my practice is in protecting free and fair elections. This may seem like small potatoes to someone like you, but it is quite important to many of us.

In your essay, you argued that the American people have misjudged you — that they are wrong about what is in your heart and mind. I want to be clear: I don’t care what you think or feel. What I care about is your actions.

And through your actions, you have made it clear who you are trying to please. It is certainly not the American people. It is someone whose name you could not even bear to mention in your essay: Donald Trump.

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And that is really the point, isn’t it? You want us to think you are motivated by a love of movies and a vague commitment to the news.

In fact, you are just another in a line of powerful men who will do anything to gain Trump’s approval. In this instance, you may want that approval to seal a lucrative business deal, but it is his approval you seek all the same.

During the transition to your leadership, CBS pulled the plug on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” — a show that is often critical of Trump. You claim it was simply business, that the show was losing money. We both know that’s not true.

Because less than a year later, your network lawyers barred Colbert from airing an interview with Texas State Rep. James Talarico, a candidate Republicans fear could help flip the Senate.

Under past leaders of the Tiffany Network, late-night hosts have been empowered to speak their minds, and political candidates have been given airtime. That all changed under your watch.

Your essay goes to great lengths to imply that you care about the movie business. I am willing to accept that it is true.

The problem is that Donald Trump doesn’t care about the movies at all. I’m sure in your private moments, you mock him as a vulgarian without any appreciation for art. His interior design choices surely speak for themselves.

As you know, however, Trump cares deeply about the news outlets — in particular, CNN. And this sets up a dangerous situation: whether you care to admit it or not, you want to please Trump.