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Senate Democrats Probe Skydance Side Deal Claim in Trump-Paramount Settlement

The inquiry follows President Trump’s unverified assertion that incoming owner Skydance Media will provide up to $20 million in advertising value beyond a confirmed $16 million settlement.

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WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 22: U.S. President Donald Trump calls on a reporter during a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the Oval Office at the White House on July 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump and Marcos are expected to discuss trade tariffs, increasing security cooperation in the face of China’s growing maritime power in the West Philippine Sea and other topics. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Paramount Global logo is seen in this illustration taken December 17, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Sen. Elizabeth Warren conducts a special forum on the rising cost of education at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on May 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C.

Overview

  • Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Ron Wyden sent a July letter to Skydance CEO David Ellison requesting disclosure of any arrangements to provide advertising, public service announcements or other promotional activities for President Trump.
  • President Trump claimed on Truth Social that Skydance will deliver between $16 million and $20 million in ad value on top of Paramount’s confirmed $16 million payout, but both Paramount and Skydance deny any such commitments.
  • The inquiry also seeks to determine whether the alleged side deal influenced CBS’s decision to cancel The Late Show With Stephen Colbert after his on-air criticism of the settlement as a “big fat bribe.”
  • Legal and press-freedom advocates warn that undisclosed payments to a sitting president could breach federal anti-bribery statutes and threaten editorial independence.
  • The Federal Communications Commission continues its review of the pending $8 billion Skydance-Paramount merger under its news distortion policy as congressional scrutiny intensifies.