Democrat Reps. Jamie Raskin and Frank Pallone Jr. are accusing Paramount of “stonewalling Congressional oversight” after providing an “inadequate and incomplete response” to its investigation into CBS’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump and the Federal Communications Commission’s approval of its $8 billion merger with Skydance Media.
The pair initially sent a letter on Aug. 20 seeking a copy of the Trump settlement and all related communications; information regarding any commitments made by Skydance for “advertising, public service announcements or other programming”; communications between Paramount or Skydance and the Trump administration; internal communications and documentation, including diligence, regarding the terms of the settlement, merger, side deals or policy changes; and merger-related communications between Paramount, Skydance and FCC that refer to Trump’s lawsuit against CBS, the agency’s “news distortion” investigation or any side agreements.
Paramount’s counsel responded on Aug. 29 that it only engaged in “routine and customary interactions” with government officials, but Raskin and Pallone Jr. said in a new letter to Paramount CEO David Ellison that it “does not appear to reflect a good-faith effort to cooperate with our Committees’ investigation.”
“Your assertion that it is ‘routine and customary’ for the President of the United States to endorse a multi-billion merger that had been pending for more than eight months just days after the CEO of Skydance sat next to the President at an Ultimate Fighting Championships event is profoundly troubling,” they wrote.
The pair added that the response asserts that Skydance has fully complied with all applicable laws, including anti-bribery, but it does not make the same representation regarding Paramount.
“It only states that there were ‘policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance.’ Your letter also does not state what these purported policies and procedures were, nor does your response assert that Paramount actually followed these policies and procedures or fully complied with all applicable laws, including anti-bribery laws,” the letter continued. “These omissions are noticeable and disturbing.”
Raskin and Pallone Jr. launched the investigation after Trump claimed that Skydance agreed to pay an additional $20 million in the form of public service announcements and advertising on top of the initial $16 million.
They also expressed concern about the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and Skydance’s agreement to conduct a “comprehensive review” of CBS, to appoint an ombudsman to review complaints of bias and to eliminate all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and policies at the company.
Paramount previously said its settlement does not include PSAs. During a press briefing with reporters in August, Ellison said Skydance was not involved in the Trump settlement nor the decision to cancel Colbert. When pressed about the existence of a side deal, he said: “I do not want to politicize our company in any way shape or form. We want to obviously speak to the biggest audience possible.”
Since that first letter, Paramount has hired former Hudson Institute head Kenneth Weinstein as its ombudsman, who Raskin and Pallone Jr. said “appears to bring little journalistic or legal experience.” It also acquired Bari Weiss’ The Free Press in a $150 million deal, which the pair said reflects a “rightward editorial shift.”
Raskin and Pallone Jr. have asked for documents and answers to its latest letter by no later than Nov. 26. A Paramount spokesperson declined to comment.
