Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) reacted to the FCC approval of the Skydance–Paramount merger, again raising questions of whether the green light was the result of a corporate bribery of Donald Trump.
In a statement, Warren said, “Bribery is illegal no matter who is president. It sure looks like Skydance and Paramount paid $36 million to Donald Trump for this merger, and he’s even bragged about this crooked-looking deal. I’ve been ringing the alarm bell for months, launching a Senate investigation into possible corruption, and this merger must be investigated for any criminal behavior. It’s an open question whether the Trump administration’s approval of this merger was the result of a bribe.”
Earlier this month, Paramount Global announced that it was settling Trump’s lawsuit against CBS for $16 million. Trump had sued the network over the way that 60 Minutes edited an interview with his 2024 rival Kamala Harris. Paramount had previously called the lawsuit meritless, but faced the FCC review of the merger. In announcing the settlement earlier this month, Paramount said that it was unrelated to the merger review. But Trump himself has connected the pending transaction and his 60 Minutes complaint.
A Skydance spokesperson did not immediate return a request for comment.
Warren and other Senate Democrats have previously raised the prospect that the settlement could have run afoul of anti-bribery laws. They also have written to Skydance CEO David Ellison about Trump’s claim that the settlement went beyond the $16 million and included a commitment to $16 million in PSAs and advertisements. This week, Trump claimed that the figure was an additional $20 million, although he hedged a bit in saying that they “anticipate” receiving that amount.
The FCC approval of the merger did not include mention of PSAs or advertisements.
As the minority party, Democrats are constrained in their ability to conduct investigations with subpoena power or hold full committee hearings. But they could still do so if they win back the House or the Senate in the midterms next year.
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