Paramount Skydance has tapped Shuwanza Goff to lead its engagement with Democratic lawmakers as the company attempts to push through its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery in the face of deep-blue skepticism.
Goff, a former staffer of President Joe Biden’s White House, has been named the company’s new vice president, U.S. government affairs. Calling her “our lead Democrat government affairs official,” Paramount chief legal officer Makan Delrahim said she was ”a highly trusted voice in Washington from both sides of the aisle” in a message announcing the hire to employees on Tuesday.
Based in Washington, D.C., Goff will start in the role on July 6. She will report to Paramount svp and head of U.S. public policy and government affairs Ted Lehman, himself a former staffer of Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.
“I know how rare it is to find someone who is deeply respected and highly effective across both parties,” Lehman said in a statement about her hire. “Shuwanza is exactly that — a trusted, known quantity in Washington and an exceptional colleague. As we continue to build out our Government Affairs team, we’re thrilled to have her join us.”
Goff is joining the company as it attempts to close a $110 billion mega-merger with another historic studio, Warner Bros. Discovery, over the next few months. If the transaction isn’t closed by Sept. 30, 2026, “ticking fees” of $0.25 per WBD shareholder will kick in every day until the deal is consummated.
Democratic lawmakers including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Sam Liccardo have asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to conduct a foreign ownership review of the transaction due to investment from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi involved in the deal.
And as THR reported Tuesday, superstar tech lawyer Robert Van Nest is in talks with California’s Democrat attorney general Rob Bonta and other state attorneys general to lead a lawsuit to block the Paramount Skydance-WBD merger.
During the Biden administration, Goff served as an assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, heading up the White House’s policy efforts. Prior to her time in the Biden administration, she spent over a decade working for House representatives including as floor director for Democrat Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. She most recently worked as vp of government affairs for an international corporation that was not named by Paramount.