* Paramount told state it would not close deal before July

16

* Oregon wants records of Paramount lobbying effort

* California, New York also probing deal

(Updates paragraphs 1-3 with Oregon's statement)

By Jody Godoy

July 7 (Reuters) - The Oregon attorney general will ask a

court to pause Paramount's $110 billion bid to acquire

Warner Bros for 60 days, saying on Tuesday the company

withheld records on its lobbying efforts.

While Paramount has told the state it will not close the

deal before July 16, Attorney General Dan Rayfield said he will

ask a court in Multnomah County to order the company to hand

over records and delay the deal so the state can review them.

"We're not going to let Paramount Skydance ( PSKY ) play hide the

ball so they can rush through their massive merger," Rayfield

said in a statement. "Oregonians have a real stake in this deal

- in our film industry, in our economy, in the choices they'll

have as consumers."

A Paramount spokesperson said the information Oregon seeks

"has nothing to do with whether this transaction complies with

Oregon's antitrust laws and is not a legitimate basis to delay a

plainly lawful, pro-competitive transaction."

The company has provided the state with documents relevant

to the merger, the spokesperson added.

Oregon is seeking documents regarding "Project Warrior,"

which was Paramount's internal code name for efforts to obtain

regulatory clearance. The state is also asking for records

related to the company's efforts to lobby the Trump

administration for support of the merger.

Paramount CEO David Ellison's father, billionaire Oracle

co-founder Larry Ellison, has cultivated ties with President

Donald Trump, and the company has hired ​former Trump officials.

Oregon is also seeking information on whether Paramount had

any role in the U.S. Department of Justice's statement

announcing it had cleared the deal.

While Oregon ordinarily "would afford significant weight" to

the DOJ's determination, the state plans to cite a Wall Street

Journal report that officials overrode career staff attorneys at

the DOJ who were leaning towards a recommendation to challenge

the deal, according to documents to be filed in court that were

reviewed by Reuters.

The DOJ issued a lengthy statement last month saying it

believed the deal would "increase competition across the media

and entertainment ecosystem, with benefits for American

consumers and workers."

The company has said the deal would create a stronger

streaming competitor to Netflix ( NFLX ) and Disney ( DIS ), and

benefit creatives and consumers.

California, New York and ​other U.S. states are preparing to

sue to block the deal, sources familiar with the matter told

Reuters last month. The states have authority to enforce laws

against mergers that they believe would unlawfully decrease

competition.

Opponents of the deal, including some actors, writers and

media workers, have worried that it would hurt jobs.