Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren Warn Paramount That It May Be ‘Engaging in Improper Conduct’ in Efforts To Settle Trump’s ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit

Two powerful, liberal Democratic senators are warning that Paramount could be violating laws in its effort to settle President Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit against CBS over CBS News’s editing of the October 2024 “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Harris. A letter from three Democratic senators, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is coming to light in the wake of news of the forced ouster of the CEO of CBS News and Stations, Wendy McMahon. The shake-up at the Tiffany Network comes as Paramount, CBS’s parent company, is seeking to settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuit against CBS for the editing of Ms. Harris’s October interview with “60 Minutes,” in which a “word salad” from the beginning of her answer to a question about Israel was removed, making her sound more coherent. Ms. Redstone and other executives reportedly believe that settling the lawsuit will lead to the Federal Communications Commission approving Paramount’s critical merger with Skydance Media, which would be worth billions of dollars if it goes through. The reported strategy has raised concerns — largely from Mr. Trump’s opponents — that the settlement could be an illegal bribe, exposing Paramount’s executives to criminal liability. Indeed, the Democratic lawmakers, Senators Sanders, Warren, and Wyden, in their letter said that they are worried Paramount “may be engaging in improper conduct involving the Trump Administration in exchange for approval of its merger with Skydance Media.” The senators warned that a settlement or a “quid pro quo” to try to pave the way for the Skydance deal to be approved “may” violate the law.They also asked for information on any incidents of executives at Paramount changing content being produced by “60 Minutes” or if executives held discussions about making a concession to the president to secure the approval of the Skydance deal. Terminated: Wendy McMahon, CEO of CBS News, is exiting Paramount. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, FileThe Status media newsletter reported Monday night that CBS executives recently considered preempting this past Sunday’s episode of “60 Minutes,” which, throughout the settlement talks, had been seemingly taunting Mr. Trump and Paramount by running weekly segments hostile to the Trump administration. An anti-Trump segment on the IRS had been slated to air Sunday, the final “60 Minutes” show before it goes on summer break, but the segment was mysteriously pulled at the last minute.The Trump-appointed chairman of the FCC, Brendan Carr, has said the president’s lawsuit is unrelated to his agency’s review of the Skydance deal and that he has not even read the suit. However, he has previously said that a “news distortion” investigation into the Harris interview being conducted by his agency could factor into the review process. A spokeswoman for Ms. Redstone said she had not seen the letter, even though it was sent on May 13. The spokeswoman also noted Ms. Redstone had recused herself from settlement talks. Representatives of Paramount and CBS News did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication. The CEO of CBS, George Cheeks, the chairwoman of Paramount Global, Shari Redstone, and the president of Showtime and MTV, Chris McCarthy. Noam Galai/Getty Images for ParamountWhile Democrats are currently in the minority in Congress and have little they can do aside from send threatening letters to Paramount, the missive with its warning that executives may be breaking the law underscores the pressure on Paramount executives to not settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuit. Democratic lawmakers have sent several letters to Paramount and Ms. Redstone with warnings against a settlement. Despite the pressure campaign, there is speculation that a settlement could be coming soon. A veteran entertainment reporter, Matthew Belloni, said during his podcast “The Town” on Monday that Ms. McMahon’s ouster signals that a settlement could be coming “in the next week or two.”He pointed out that her departure was announced after the latest season of “60 Minutes” came to an end on Sunday — the show will air re-runs until September — and said it was the “right time for her to step down.”“60 Minutes” has faced intense criticism from Mr. Trump over the Harris interview. CBS has defended the editing and insisted the changes were not made deceitfully. However, the program has also reportedly become a source of frustration for Ms. Redstone, who has expressed her displeasure with what she feels is an anti-Israel bias in its coverage.CBS News has been denounced by President Trump for its editing of the ’60 Minutes’ Kamala Harris interview. Via CBS NewsAfter the venerable news show aired a segment in January about internal dissent at the Department of State regarding America’s response to the Israel-Hamas war, Ms. Redstone was reportedly furious and pushed to fire the executive producer of the show, Bill Owens, who was ultimately forced out in April.In a note announcing his departure, Mr. Owens said he had lost the ability to make independent decisions for the program. Semafor later reported that executives at Paramount had asked for lists of stories about the Trump administration, and Puck’s Dylan Byers reported that Ms. Redstone had inquired about whether “60 Minutes” could hold off on stories about the Trump administration until the Skydance deal was approved. Mr. Owens’s resignation led to a rare on-air rebuke from one of the stars of “60 Minutes,” Scott Pelley, who shared the news of the executive producer’s resignation and said Paramount “began to supervise our content in new ways.” However, Mr. Pelley said that none of the program’s stories had been blocked. The show aired near-weekly stories that were critical of the Trump administration’s spending cuts, Mr. Trump’s foreign policy, and his battle with law firms that opposed him or advised or hired his political adversaries. While Paramount seemed willing to let “60 Minutes” maintain its almost unheard-of levels of independence for weeks as tensions increased, multiple reports indicate that the executives considered pulling the show from the air on what was scheduled to be the last week of its season. Vice President Harris sits down with Bill Whitaker for her ’60 Minutes’ interview. Via CBS NewsThe CEO of CBS and a co-executive of Paramount, George Cheeks, discussed the idea of airing a prime-time special in place of “60 Minutes” on Sunday, according to the closely-read liberal media journalist, Oliver Darcy, writing for Status.Mr. Darcy wrote that the program’s story on downsizing at the IRS was suddenly cut, with the purported reason being that a court had ordered the Trump administration to rehire “many” of the workers. Some TV news insiders say this excuse is not credible and that “60 Minutes” likely pulled the segment under duress.However, Ms. McMahon reportedly made sure to voice her objection to Mr. Cheeks and said he would have to fire her if the network was going to pull “60 Minutes.” Mr. Cheeks asked Ms. McMahon for her resignation on Saturday, according to Mr. Darcy. Mr. Byers reported on a Puck podcast that Ms. McMahon was fired by Mr. Cheeks, but allowed to resign “on her own terms.”On Monday, Ms. McMahon broke the news of her departure as she said, “It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward.” The news was not unexpected; Mr. Belloni had previously predicted she would be out within a few months, and Mr. Byers reported that executives at Skydance had decided to fire her. In her goodbye note, she seemed to indicate she was prepared to leave the network for some time as she said she had “spent the last few months shoring up our businesses and making sure the right leaders are in place.”The former executive producer of ’60 Minutes,’ Bill Owens. Frederick M. Brown/Getty ImagesMr. Byers said Ms. McMahon was fired for multiple reasons in addition to the “60 Minutes” mess. A local TV station executive who was not a journalist or producer, she had brought in deputies who also had no national news experience, and she struggled to control CBS News’s notoriously far-left, independent-minded journalists. Ms. McMahon’s revamp of the “CBS Evening News,” which she entrusted to Mr. Owens, is considered a debacle. She also failed to contain a series of antisemitism controversies propagated by a CBS News staff considered to be anti-Israel.With Ms. McMahon and Mr. Owens out of the picture, it appears that a settlement with Mr. Trump could be coming soon, and it is expected that any deal to resolve his lawsuit will include an apology. The two ousted executives had previously stated that an apology was a “red line” they would not cross. Mr. Trump’s team is believed to be seeking an on-air apology from one of the stars of “60 Minutes,” perhaps Mr. Pelley, who on Monday delivered a commencement speech at Wake Forest University in which he took a shot at the president for suing “journalists and their companies for nothing.” The end of the “60 Minutes” season may also make a settlement easier, as the staff will not be running negative stories about the Trump administration. The journalists at the show were expected to express their displeasure with a settlement on-air if it was reached before the end of the season, but they are now muzzled. President Trump denounces CBS News in a conversation with Dan Bongino. Via RumbleA major question hanging over the news division will be whether Ms. McMahon’s deputy, the president of CBS News, Tom Cibrowski, will offer the same resistance or if he will comply with the wishes of his bosses. Mr. Cibrowski, unlike Ms. McMahon, has a long career as a news producer behind him, but his experience is in morning television, which “60 Minutes” holds in contempt, and it’s far from clear that the famously independent unit will pay any attention to him. It is also unlikely, CBS News insiders say, that the interim executive producer of “60 Minutes,” Tanya Simon, the daughter of a legendary CBS News correspondent, Bob Simon, would ever make an apology.

Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren Warn Paramount That It May Be ‘Engaging in Improper Conduct’ in Efforts To Settle Trump’s ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit

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