Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit against CBS News has triggered a political firestorm. Democrat senators are now attempting to intimidate by warning Paramount that settling with Trump could be criminal.
Key Facts:
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Sen. Ron Wyden sent a letter to Paramount’s Shari Redstone.
- They warned that settling Trump’s lawsuit over CBS News’ “60 Minutes” interview editing could violate federal bribery laws.
- Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit claims CBS interfered with the 2020 election.
- Paramount is reportedly open to settling the lawsuit amid a pending merger with Skydance Media.
- The senators gave Redstone until June 2 to answer nine questions about the potential settlement and merger.
The Rest of The Story:
Donald Trump filed a $20 billion lawsuit against CBS News and its parent company, Paramount Global, accusing them of election interference tied to the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with then-VP Kamala Harris.
As the case moves into mediation, reports suggest Paramount may be open to a settlement.
This has drawn attention from Democratic senators who claim any deal with Trump’s team could amount to bribery.
Senators Warren, Sanders, and Wyden argue that settling a lawsuit deemed “without merit” by CBS in exchange for merger approval from Trump’s FCC is potentially illegal.
They believe Paramount is sacrificing journalistic integrity to curry favor with the Trump administration in advance of its multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance Media.
Their letter cites recent content changes at CBS, executive resignations, and statements from correspondent Scott Pelley as signs of internal pressure and political appeasement.
Sanders, Warren warn Paramount that settling Trump lawsuit could be illegal bribery act https://t.co/S5A6p0KUgr
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 21, 2025
Commentary:
This letter from Warren, Sanders, and Wyden isn’t about law—it’s about leverage and intimidation.
The senators are sending a message: If Paramount settles with Trump, Democrats will make them pay when they return to power.
This isn’t oversight. It’s coercion.
The lawmakers are threatening legal consequences for engaging in a private legal settlement, a basic constitutional right.
They’re essentially saying, “Toe our line or face political punishment.”
That’s not how the rule of law works. That’s how mob politics works.
What makes this dangerous is that they are using the specter of the federal bribery statute to chill a private company’s legal strategy.
They’re not concerned about legal ethics—they’re trying to block Trump from getting a win in court and using government approval as a hostage.
This is the political weaponization of antitrust and regulatory review.
If Democrats succeed in scaring Paramount away from a settlement, they’ve set a precedent: no company can settle with Trump or any political opponent without fearing government retaliation.
And if Paramount caves, they’ll become a permanent hostage.
Any future lawsuit or Trump-related decision would have to be filtered through the political approval of the Democratic Party.
That’s not just corporate cowardice—it’s complicity.
The idea that CBS must never reconsider its legal strategy without being accused of “quid pro quo” is absurd.
Legal settlements are negotiated all the time.
If the FCC process overlaps with this case, so be it—there is a process in place for that.
What Warren and Sanders are doing is nothing short of political extortion.
“Nice company you’ve got there,” they seem to say. “Shame if something happened to it.”
If Paramount gives in to this threat, they won’t just lose credibility—they’ll lose independence.
The Bottom Line:
Paramount is under intense pressure from progressive senators warning that settling Trump’s lawsuit could be seen as bribery.
But this warning reeks more of political intimidation than concern for ethics.
If Paramount bows to this pressure, it risks becoming a tool of partisan enforcement.
The death of press freedom and corporate independence won’t be far behind.
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