Wednesday morning brought blowback to the settlement between Paramount Global and President Trump from Democratic lawmakers and regulators.
Senator Elizabeth Warren said that she is demanding an investigation into the settlement, and said that she “will soon introduce new legislation to rein in corruption through presidential library donations.”
“With Paramount folding to Donald Trump at the same time the company needs his administration’s approval for its billion-dollar merger, this could be bribery in plain sight,” Warren said in a statement. “Paramount has refused to provide answers to a congressional inquiry, so I’m calling for a full investigation into whether or not any anti-bribery laws were broken.”
In addition, Democratic FCC commissioner Anna Gomez released a statement requesting that the broadcast regulator, chaired by Brendan Carr, bring the pending Paramount-Skydance transaction to a full commission vote.
“This moment marks a dangerous precedent for the First Amendment, and it should alarm anyone who values a free and independent press,” Gomez said. “Approving this transaction behind closed doors would be a shameful outcome that denies the American people the transparency and accountability they deserve, especially when press freedom is at stake.”
The settlement between Paramount and Trump will see the media giant pay $16 million ($15 million to a future presidential library and $1 million in legal fees), but it will not include an apology. That said, the settlement does require that 60 Minutes release any future transcripts with presidential candidates.
Paramount had said previously that “this lawsuit is completely separate from, and unrelated to, the Skydance transaction and the FCC approval process. We will abide by the legal process to defend our case.”
Still, the pending license transfer at the FCC has raised alarm bells, with Democratic members of Congress and outside groups suggesting that if the FCC approves the deal after a settlement, Paramount executives could be exposed to anti-bribery laws. The Paramount settlement is similar in scale to a settlement from Disney over an ABC News broadcast.
Inside CBS News, staffers expressed anxiety and relief at the settlement, angry at the precedent it sets, but relieved that they can move on without it hanging over their work.
