President Trump’s legal team has an “anticipation” that Paramount and CBS News will air about $16 million worth of free advertisements in support of conservative causes “in the future” as part of its settlement with Mr. Trump, which already involves a $16 million payment, over Vice President Harris’s “60 Minutes” interview, according to two new reports. Paramount, which is being sold, claims it not aware of any such arrangement.Paramount and attorneys for Mr. Trump announced late Tuesday that they had reached a deal in principle to settle the president’s lawsuit for $16 million, to cover legal fees and to go to his future presidential library. The deal notably did not include an apology for the editing of the Harris interview, which Mr. Trump reportedly had made a condition of a settlement. However, Fox News reported that there is an “anticipation that there will be another allocation in the mid-eight figures set aside for advertisements, public service announcements, or other similar transmissions, in support of conservative causes by the network in the future.”Fox News notes that the reported “allocation” would bring the value of the settlement closer to $30 million. The Washington Free Beacon, quoting its own unnamed sources, confirmed the existence of the side agreement and the $30 million figure.An aerial view of the Paramount Studios lot in Hollywood, CA. David McNew/Getty Images“In the future” likely means after Skydance closes its acquisition of Paramount — a transaction that’s been on hold for months. Paramount and Skydance executives are reported to be hopeful that the settlement of the lawsuit will smooth the way for the transaction’s consummation.In a statement, Paramount told the Sun, “Contrary to some news reports or media speculation, Paramount’s settlement with President Trump does not include PSAs or anything related to PSAs. Paramount has no knowledge of any promises or commitments made to President Trump other than those set forth in the settlement proposed by the mediator and accepted by the parties. The material terms of the settlement agreement in principle are those disclosed by us yesterday.”Skydance does not yet control Paramount and did not have a formal role in the settlement negotiations. Skydance did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication. CBS News has been denounced by President Trump for its editing of the ’60 Minutes’ interview with Vice President Harris. CBS NewsThe report of a secret side deal comes as the settlement agreement announced on Tuesday is lower than what Mr. Trump’s legal team had reportedly been seeking. Puck’s Matthew Belloni wrote that the president’s team had been demanding as much as $50 million. Multiple reports indicated that Paramount executives grew increasingly concerned that a settlement could be perceived as a bribe. While the lawsuit has played out, Paramount has been trying to complete its crucial merger with Skydance Media, which requires the approval of the Federal Communications Commission. The Skydance deal is seen as crucial to keeping one of Hollywood’s oldest studios intact and avoiding widespread layoffs. It would also give the family that currently owns Paramount, the Redstones, enough money to pay off its debt obligations and walk away with about $1.8 billion left over. The Trump-appointed chairman of the FCC, Brendan Carr, and Paramount have insisted Mr. Trump’s lawsuit is unrelated to the Skydance deal. However, that has not stopped Democrats and liberal journalists from linking the two matters. Indeed, on Wednesday, Senator Wyden said he will be the “first in line calling for federal charges” over allegations that the settlement is a bribe. Mr. Wyden also urged state prosecutors to take Paramount to court. President Trump denounces CBS News in a conversation with Dan Bongino. RumbleAmid the concerns that a settlement would be perceived as a bribe and lead to investigations and potentially criminal charges, there has been speculation that CBS would offer an apology to provide a justification for the decision. The Journal also reported that Paramount executives sought to keep its payment in line with what other companies paid to settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuits.In December, Disney agreed to pay $16 million to settle Mr. Trump’s defamation lawsuit against ABC News after host George Stephanopoulos falsely and repeatedly said that the president was “found liable for rape.” An editor’s note on ABCNews.com after the settlement said, “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos.”Fox News noted that the “current” Paramount management disputed its report. However, it did not state if the “anticipation” of the public service announcements was the result of some kind of understanding with the potential new owner of the company. The chief executive of Skydance, David Ellison, is the son of an Oracle co-founder, Larry Ellison, the fourth richest man in America and a supporter of Mr. Trump. George Stephanopoulos has expressed ‘regret’ for false statements he made about President Trump during this contentious interview with Representative Nancy Mace. ABC NewsMr. Trump and the younger Mr. Ellison were seen near each other at two UFC events in New Jersey this year amid his lawsuit against CBS. Variety reported that the two men were seen in the midst of a “heated exchange” at a UFC event in June, which ended with a “firm handshake.” Meanwhile, Puck’s Dylan Byers reported that the elder Mr. Ellison has had “multiple meetings” with Mr. Trump in the Oval Office in “recent weeks.” Although the meetings were private, Mr. Byers pointed out that it is hard not to speculate about whether the two men discussed the Skydance deal.At an event at the White House after the UFC event last month, Mr. Trump appeared to endorse the Skydance deal as he said the younger Mr. Ellison would do a “great job” overseeing Paramount and CBS.A representative for Mr. Trump’s legal team did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.
