Senator Elizabeth Warren is calling, yet again, for a “full investigation” into Paramount and Donald Trump’s settlement discussions after the two parties agreed to resolve the president’s lawsuit against CBS and “60 Minutes” for $16 million.
“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,” the Democrat said in a Wednesday statement to TheWrap. “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.”
The settlement covers legal fees and other costs, as well as a donation that will be allocated to a “future presidential library.” Paramount also said that “in the future, ’60 Minutes’ will release transcripts of interviews with eligible U.S. presidential candidates after such interviews have aired, subject to redactions as required for legal or national security concerns.”
Notably, the settlement does not include any statement of apology or regret from CBS or “60 Minutes.”
Warren said the settlement “exposes a glaring need for rules to restrict donations to sitting presidents’ libraries,” adding that she plans to introduce new legislation to “rein in corruption through presidential library donations.”
“The Trump administration’s level of sheer corruption is appalling and Paramount should be ashamed of putting its profits over independent journalism,” Warren’s statement concluded.
Warren’s comments come after she joined Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ron Wyden in warning Paramount controlling shareholder Shari Redstone in May that settling Trump’s lawsuit in exchange for regulatory approval of its pending $8 billion merger with Skydance Media could constitute a violation of federal anti-bribery laws.
Along with the warning, the trio asked Redstone to answer nine questions by June 2, including if Paramount believes the case was without merit, if company leaders discussed settling in order to smooth things over for the Skydance merger, if “60 Minutes” made changes to its programming with that in mind, and if further such changes are coming.
In his own statement on X, Wyden said that Paramount “just paid Trump a bribe for merger approval.”
“When Democrats retake power, I’ll be first in line calling for federal charges,” he added. “In the meantime, state prosecutors should make the corporate execs who sold out our democracy answer in court, today.”
Meanwhile, Sanders said in a statement that the decision sets “an extremely dangerous precedent in terms of both the First Amendment and government extortion.”
“Paramount’s decision will only embolden Trump to continue attacking, suing and intimidating the media which he has labeled “the enemy of the people.” It is a dark day for independent journalism and freedom of the press — an essential part of our democracy. It is a victory for a president who is attempting to stifle dissent and undermine American democracy,” the statement continues.
“It’s pretty obvious why Paramount chose to surrender to Trump. The Redstone family is in line to receive $2.4 billion from the sale of Paramount to Skydance, but they can only receive this money if the Trump administration approves this deal. In other words, the Redstone family diminished the freedom of the press today in exchange for a $2.4 billion payday. Make no mistake about it. Trump is undermining our democracy and rapidly moving us towards authoritarianism and the billionaires who care more about their stock portfolios than our democracy are helping him do it.”
During Paramount’s annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, co-CEO George Cheeks defended the settlement.
“Look, companies often settle litigation to avoid the high and somewhat unpredictable cost of legal defense, the risk of an adverse judgment that could result in significant financial as well as reputational damage, and the disruption to business operations that prolonged legal battles can cause,” Cheeks said during a Q&A session. “Settlement offers a negotiated resolution that allows companies to focus on their core objectives, rather than being mired in uncertainty and distraction.”
While legal experts who previously spoke to TheWrap didn’t rule out legal action due to a settlement, they have dismissed the notion of bribery charges as a “non-case.”
In addition to the scrutiny from Warren, Wyden and Sanders, California State Senate Democrats Josh Becker and Thomas Umberg have launched an investigation into the matter and invited former “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens and former CBS News president Wendy McMahon to testify.
Umberg declined to comment, while Becker did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment.
