Two leading Democratic representatives have launched an investigation into the Trump administration’s suspicious decision to approve a merger involving CBS parent Paramount after that company paid out millions to President Donald Trump.
In July, Paramount announced that it had settled a lawsuit brought against it by Trump after he whined about a 2024 interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. Legal experts had described the suit as legally dubious, but CBS’ parent company went ahead with the cash settlement while the FCC considered its bid to merge with media production company Skydance. The company’s decision was widely derided as a bribe.
Soon after, CBS announced that it would be cancelling “The Late Show,” hosted by longtime Trump critic and comedian Stephen Colbert—and a few days later the merger was given the green light.
Rep. Frank Pallone
On Thursday, a letter was sent to Paramount CEO David Ellison by Rep. Frank Pallone, a ranking member of the Energy Committee, and Rep. Jamie Raskin, who holds the same position on the Judiciary Committee. The members requested that Ellison provide documents and communications between Paramount, Skydance, and the Trump administration.
“We write today to demand information and answers regarding these suspicious and troubling transactions,” the letter said.
Pallone and Raskin added, “This appears to be an offer of payment and benefits to a government official designed to achieve a specific outcome from the government—in other words, a bribe.”
In their letter, Pallone and Raskin also take note of public statements from Trump indicating that he was promised up to $20 million in free public service announcements on Paramount’s platforms. Paramount has also assured the administration that it would create an “ombudsman” meant to amplify complaints about so-called “bias,” a longstanding conservative allegation about the “liberal” media that has largely been shown to be false.
Ultimately the congressmen note that if Paramount and the administration entered into the sort of agreement the evidence points to, it would be “illegal, running afoul of federal and state anti-bribery statutes.”
Paramount’s capitulation to Trump is part of a trend in behavior among the mainstream media. The mainstream press has abandoned many of the functions of its traditional role of government watchdog to instead focus on propping up and promoting the Trump/GOP agenda.
