Three senators have sent a letter to Paramount Global’s Shari Redstone warning that a potential settlement of Donald Trump‘s $20 billion lawsuit against CBS may violate federal bribery laws.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote that “Paramount appears to be trying to settle a lawsuit that it has assessed as ‘completely without merit,’ and moderating the content of its programs in order to obtain approval of this merger. 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.”
Redstone is non-executive chairwoman of Paramount Global and controlling shareholder.
The senators cite 18 U.S.C. 201, which prohibits giving anything of value to a public official for the purposes of influencing their decisions.
In October, Trump sued CBS over the way that 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris. The lawsuit alleges violations of Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which is typically used by consumers for false advertising claims. A number of legal experts see Trump’s lawsuit as meritless, but the litigation comes as CBS-parent Paramount Global seeks Trump administration approval for its merger with Skydance.
Read the senators’ letter to Shari Redstone.
The senators also wrote that “Paramount appears to have begun overseeing CBS’s content, presumably in order to screen it for content that could anger the Trump Administration.” That was a reference to the resignation last month of Bill Owens, executive producer of 60 Minutes, over what he said was corporate interference. The lawmakers also noted the pending departure of Wendy McMahon, the CEO of CBS News and Stations, who announced her resignation on Monday, saying that “it’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward.”
“Paramount’s scheme to curry favor with the Trump Administration has compromised journalistic independence and raises serious concerns of corruption and improper conduct,” the senators wrote.
The lawmakers went on to ask Redstone to respond to a series of questions about the potential settlement, including, “Has 60 Minutes made changes to its content at the request of anyone at Paramount to facilitate approval of the merger?”
A Paramount Global spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the letter. A spokesperson told the Journal that Redstone has recused herself from the settlement talks.
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