A high-ranking Democratic Member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and a colleague who serves as his party’s Ranking Member for the legislative body in Congress, have written to the Chairman of the FCC pleading for a vote on the proposed merger between the parent of CBS News and Stations and Skydance Media.
Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.), a champion of the AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act and a champion of broadcast media, teamed with Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N. Mex.), in responding to a report in The New York Times that Paramount “is considering settling a frivolous lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump against CBS, a Paramount subsidiary” by urging the Commission to “operate transparently” with the proposed merger.
In the letter, the senators stated that the FCC should only approve the merger with an affirmative vote by the full Commission.
“In late October, then-candidate Trump sued CBS for $10 billion — later raising this outrageous amount to $20 billion — for supposedly deceptively editing an interview of then-Vice President Kamala Harris on its programs 60 Minutes and Face the Nation,” the Senators wrote. “As the transcript of the interview showed, the excerpts that CBS aired were a quintessential example of editorial decision-making. Trump’s claim that such conduct constituted ‘voter interference’ and violated Texas’s consumer protection law is both false and a clear attempt to intimidate the news media. CBS has rightfully moved to dismiss the case.”
They continue, “Despite the obviously frivolous nature of the lawsuit, Paramount is reportedly considering settling the case to ‘increase the odds that the Trump administration does not block or delay’ its merger with Skydance. In fact, Paramount executives and directors are reportedly concerned that such a settlement could open them up to accusations of bribery. Paramount would not be the first to settle a lawsuit brought by the President in the past few months. In the weeks following the inauguration, ABC ($16 million), Meta ($25 million), and X ($10 million) all settled cases brought by Trump. With Paramount on the hook to pay Skydance a $400 million breakup fee if the FCC blocks the deal, the company has strong financial incentives to facilitate FCC approval of the merger.”
It is these reasons, Luján and Markey conclude, the proposed transaction “has signs of a deal between a company eager for approval of a multi-billion dollar merger and a President willing to exploit his position to intimidate the media and secure a multi-million dollar payout. The unique position of this merger necessitates the utmost transparency at the FCC. A matter of this significance deserves the scrutiny of the entire Commission. We urge you to only approve this merger through a full Commission vote.”
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