In a letter to Shari Redstone, Paramount Global Chair, three U.S. Senators warn that the company could be violating a federal anti-bribery law if they agree to settle with President Trump in a lawsuit about a segment on “60 Minutes.”
The lawsuit claims that CBS News “deceptively edited” a segment of a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris in October 2024, during the presidential race. The $20 billion lawsuit claims that the segment “cheated and defrauded the American People at levels never seen before in the Political Arena.”
Executives are eager to be done with the lawsuit so they can move forward with a Paramount and Skydance Media merger. Last month, The New York Times reported that Paramount had outlined terms for an out-of-court resolution. That report came after Bill Owens, the long-time executive producer of “60 Minutes,” announced his resignation, citing concerns over editorial independence at CBS. This week, CBS News CEO Wendy MaMahon also resigned, saying “It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported that Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Ron Wyden sent a letter to Redstone Monday, warning that settling the lawsuit in order to move ahead with the merger could be violating the law.
The letter says: “Under the federal bribery statute, it is illegal to corruptly give anything of value to public officials to
influence an official act. If Paramount officials make these concessions in a quid pro quo arrangement to influence President Trump or other Administration officials, they may be breaking the law.”
The Senators note that when the lawsuit was first introduced, CBS responded by saying that the claims were “false,” the suit was “completely without merit,” and that it was “an affront to the First Amendment.” Now, they say, the company is “walking back its commitments to defend CBS’s First Amendment rights” by attempting to settle with Trump ahead of the FCC review of the Skydance merger.
The letter also calls out Paramount for overseeing and moderating content on its networks, to prevent airing content that could be criticized by Trump and the FCC.
“Paramount’s scheme to curry favor with the Trump Administration has compromised journalistic independence and raises serious concerns of corruption and improper conduct,” the letter says, specifically noting the departures of Owens and McMahon as a response to the recent changes in content moderation.
The senators ended the letter with a list of nine questions, to “help determine whether Paramount is acting in accordance with our nation’s anti-bribery laws and maintaining journalistic integrity…” They are seeking a response from Paramount by June 2, 2025.