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BumRushDaShow

(158,700 posts) Thu Aug 21, 2025, 03:02 PM Thursday

House Democrats launch investigation into Paramount merger and 'bribe' to Trump

Source: The Independent

Thursday 21 August 2025 16:22 BST

The ranking members of the House Judiciary and Energy and Commerce committees are launching an investigation into Skydance’s $8 billion merger with Paramount and whether the $16 million settlement with Donald Trump constituted a “bribe,” the committees announced Thursday. The Hill first reported on the launch of the congressional probe and a letter sent to Paramount leadership, which The Independent has also reviewed.

In the letter sent to new Paramount CEO David Ellison on Wednesday night, E&C ranking member Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. and Rep. Jamie Raskin, Judiciary’s top Democrat, called on Paramount leadership to provide documents and correspondence related to the deal and its approval process with the Trump administration.

The merger, which was approved late last month by the FCC and officially closed on August 7, came after a politically strained and fraught process that included the previous Paramount leadership paying Trump to settle a lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview that CBS News’ own lawyers said was “without merit.”

Additionally, after the settlement was announced, the president claimed that he had reached a “side deal” with Ellison to air up to $20 million worth of pro-Trump advertisements and programming on CBS once Skydance took over the company. While the previous Paramount leadership denied any knowledge of any secret agreement, Ellison has remained mum about the matter.

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/paramount-merger-democrats-bribe-trump-b2811807.html

Link to PRESS RELEASE - Judiciary Democrats and E&C Launch Investigation into Skydance-Paramount Merger

Link to LETTER (PDF) - http://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2025.08.20.pallone-raskin-to-ellison-paramount-skydance-re-merger.pdf

4 replies

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Highlight:

House Democrats launch investigation into Paramount merger and 'bribe' to Trump (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Thursday OP

They don't have subpoena power so I am guessing this is going nowhere. Bev54 Thursday #1

They are requesting documents and responses to questions BumRushDaShow Thursday #2

Remember, traitors have immunity. Kid Berwyn Thursday #3

"The company also agreed to eliminate all diversity hiring practices." riversedge Friday #4

Bev54

(12,770 posts)

1. They don't have subpoena power so I am guessing this is going nowhere.

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Thu Aug 21, 2025, 05:43 PM

Thursday

BumRushDaShow

(158,700 posts)

2. They are requesting documents and responses to questions

Reply to Bev54 (Reply #1)

Thu Aug 21, 2025, 05:56 PM

Thursday

(which most of these "letters" do)

In most cases, the recipients DO respond - at least with "something". It might not be everything but very few blow it off - and those that do are usually the MAGat types. That info is kept as documentation to use for any future hearings and testimony under oath (should we ever retake the House) and for markups of legislation.

Kid Berwyn

(21,841 posts)

3. Remember, traitors have immunity.

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Thu Aug 21, 2025, 05:59 PM

Thursday

Official offal and all that gratuitous.

riversedge

(77,294 posts)

4. "The company also agreed to eliminate all diversity hiring practices."

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Fri Aug 22, 2025, 01:13 AM

Friday

...........Days before the merger was approved by Trump’s handpicked Federal Communications Commission chief Brendan Carr, Skydance agreed to install an ombudsman for two years to conduct a “comprehensive review” of CBS News and review “complaints of bias.” The company also agreed to eliminate all diversity hiring practices.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/paramount-merger-democrats-bribe-trump-b2811807.html

On top of that, Paramount announced just before the administration approved the merger that it was canceling the long-running late show hosted by outspoken Trump critic Stephen Colbert, even though it was the top-rated program in late-night. Trump and Carr immediately celebrated the news of Colbert’s cancellation. Paramount, meanwhile, has insisted the move was purely for financial reasons, while company sources claimed the show lost $40 million a year.

“In the days and weeks leading up to government approval of the deal, Paramount also agreed to pay $16 million to settle President Trump’s meritless lawsuit related to benign edits of an episode of ‘60 Minutes’—a standard editorial practice—which the FCC also investigated without any legitimate regulatory basis,” the letter to Ellison read. “The settlement raises significant concerns that Donald Trump demanded and Paramount paid an illegal bribe—a $16 million payment to the President in exchange for merger approval from the FCC.”

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