Last week, President Trump issued a full pardon to Tim Leiweke, the former CEO of venue development company Oak View Group. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the pardon effectively ends the criminal complaint against him – and came after Leiweke’s attorney golfed with Trump. The pardon also calls into question the fate of the DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster/Live Nation, which was initiated by the Biden Administration.

According to the Wall Street Journal:

• “Trump decided on the pardon after Republican former Rep. Trey Gowdy raised the case with him following a round of golf … Leiweke had faced charges of rigging the bid for a $375 million basketball arena that was later built for the University of Texas.”
• “The pardon wiped away a case that Trump’s antitrust chief had said fleeced Texas taxpayers.”
• “Leiweke was expected to be a witness in the government’s big civil case designed to improve competition and pricing in concerts and sports, and his indictment was the only criminal case targeting how the live-events industry works.”

Why is this significant? Leiweke’s now moot bid-rigging indictment had outlined how OVG quietly accepted tens of millions of dollars in secret kickbacks from Ticketmaster while urging its venue clients to sign exclusive ticketing deals with the platform. Now, it’s unlikely he will cooperate in the lawsuit against the monopoly in which these exclusive ticketing contracts are a key focus.

Utilizing Trump’s inner circle isn’t just a strategy being used by Leiweke. Live Nation recently named Richard Grenell to its board of directors, and has hired Kellyanne Conway as an advisor with the hope that their DOJ case will go away entirely.

California legislators should stand with fans, and not companies looking to peddle influence to skirt accountability.