House Democrats Demand Documents Related To Skydance-paramount Merger

Two apical House Democrats are demanding documents and soul communications related to nan national support process down Skydance’s $8 cardinal acquisition of nan media conglomerate Paramount, nan genitor institution of CBS.

Reps. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Jamie Raskin, D-Md., made nan requests successful a missive Wednesday to David Ellison, nan main executive of what is now known arsenic nan Paramount Skydance Corp.

In nan letter, Pallone and Raskin raised concerns astir really Skydance secured approval of nan merger from nan Federal Communications Commission, nan agency that has regulatory oversight of nan media industry. The contents of nan missive were first reported by The Hill.

The 2 lawmakers pointed to Paramount’s determination to pay $16 million to settee a suit from President Donald Trump, who alleged that CBS’ “60 Minutes” had deceptively edited an question and reply pinch erstwhile Vice President Kamala Harris during nan 2024 statesmanlike campaign.

CBS denied Trump’s claim. The costs has been designated to spell to Trump’s early statesmanlike library.

“The colony raises important concerns that Donald Trump demanded and Paramount paid an forbidden bribe—a $16 cardinal costs to nan President successful speech for merger support from nan FCC,” Pallone and Raskin wrote successful nan letter, calling Trump’s suit “meritless.”

Paramount Skydance spokespeople did not instantly respond to an email requesting remark connected Pallone and Raskin’s demands.

The White House and nan FCC besides did not instantly respond to requests for comment. The FCC is chaired by Brendan Carr, a lawyer who was appointed to nan domiciled this twelvemonth by Trump.

Carr’s agency has an unfastened investigation into whether CBS engaged successful “news distortion” successful nan position of Harris’ question and reply pinch “60 Minutes.”

Pallone and Raskin highlighted comments Trump made connected his Truth Social platform. The president said he anticipated “receiving $20 Million Dollars much from nan caller [Paramount] Owners, successful Advertising, PSAs, aliases akin Programming.”

Skydance has denied allegations of bribery from Democratic lawmakers and different critics — including CBS late-night big Stephen Colbert, who blasted nan colony arsenic a “big fat bribe” days earlier nan web announced it was canceling his show.

“Throughout its history and during nan reappraisal of nan projected acquisition of Paramount, Skydance has afloat complied pinch each applicable laws, including our nation’s anti-bribery laws,” Skydance’s wide counsel wrote successful a letter to a trio of U.S. senators connected July 31.

Pallone and Raskin besides took rumor pinch Skydance’s pledge to prosecute an ombudsman who will reappraisal “complaints of bias” astatine CBS News and nan company’s determination to scrap diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The promises were made successful a brace of filings to nan FCC successful July.

“The announcement of onboarding a caller ombudsman to ‘root out’ specified politicization is simply a poorly disguised effort astatine censoring reside that contradicts nan Administration’s ideals,” Pallone and Raskin wrote.

“As portion of our instruction to behaviour legislature oversight, we will proceed to scrutinize nan relationship betwixt Skydance’s offers made to nan President anterior to closing nan deal, Paramount’s colony of a sham suit that enriches nan President, and regulatory support of nan merger,” nan lawmakers added.

Pallone and Raskin closed nan missive pinch requests for various documents and soul communications related to nan “60 Minutes” settlement, nan merger support process and different subjects. They asked for responses from Ellison by Sept. 3.

Ellison is nan boy of Larry Ellison, nan billionaire tech magnate and Trump state who co-founded nan Oracle Corp. (David Ellison donated $929,600 to erstwhile President Joe Biden’s re-election bid, according to Federal Election Commission records.)