E&C and Judiciary Democrats Launch Investigation into Skydance-Paramount Merger
Top House Democrats Seek Answers on Whether the Terms of the Government-Approved Merger Includes Censorship of Editorial Products at the Network, Details on the Millions in Free Trump Advertising, and More
Today, Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) demanded answers from Paramount Skydance Corporation CEO David Ellison after the company agreed to pay millions of dollars and provide free services to Donald Trump prior to Skydance’s merger with Paramount.
Skydance Corporation’s $8 billion merger deal to acquire CBS News parent company Paramount, was ultimately approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on July 24, 2025. In their letter, the Ranking Members pointed to troubling statements by President Trump indicating that he expects to receive “$20 Million Dollars more from the new Owners, in Advertising, PSAs, or similar Programming, for a total of over $36 Million Dollars.” The deal also includes changes to editorial practices that align with the Trump Administration’s political agenda, including a commitment to eliminate “perceived bias” in its reporting, the hiring of a new ombudsman to “root out” so-called politicization, and more.
“Alarmingly, the FCC’s decision came only after Skydance and Paramount agreed to provide millions of dollars in payments and free services to Donald Trump himself and millions to support his future presidential library,” Pallone and Raskin wrote in their letter to Ellison. “Further, the announcement of onboarding a new ombudsman to ‘root out’ such politicization is a poorly disguised attempt at censoring speech that contradicts the Administration’s ideals. We write today to demand information and answers regarding these suspicious and troubling transactions.”
In the days and weeks leading up to government approval of the merger, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle President Trump’s meritless lawsuit related to benign edits of a “60 Minutes” story and the canceling of the highly popular “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Recent reporting and statements by Trump also indicated that Skydance offered to provide the president with free access to between $15 and $20 million worth of PSAs in exchange for the FCC’s approval of the merger.
“This offer was necessarily contingent on the FCC approving the deal and does not appear to present any legitimate value to the public, only to President Trump. Therefore, this appears to be an offer of payment and benefits to a government official designed to achieve a specific outcome from the government — in other words, a bribe,” Pallone and Raskin continued in their letter.
Given the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the merger, the Ranking Members are seeking information about this deal, including whether the company made any offers or promises to President Trump prior to the merger’s approval. Furthermore, the Ranking Members are requesting information about the FCC’s involvement in the process – vowing to crack down on any actions that exceed the FCC’s authority or betray its mission.
“Two wrongs do not make a right — illegitimate demands from the FCC or the Administration do not absolve your company from wrongdoing. If Skydance offered a side deal of up to $20 million worth of advertisement or programming to President Trump in order to receive regulatory approval for the merger with Paramount, these actions would run afoul of federal and state anti-bribery statutes,” they concluded in their letter to Ellison. “Similarly, if Paramount forced out CBS’s longtime leaders, spent $16 million to settle a sham lawsuit with President Trump, or cancelled a highly popular comedy show that President Trump dislikes in order to curry favor with the Administration and to receive regulatory approval for the merger with Skydance, these actions would likely further embolden President Trump to use lawsuits and regulatory authority to attack media organizations that he finds objectionable in order to silence them. These actions would also be illegal, running afoul of federal and state anti-bribery statutes."
Ranking Members Pallone and Raskin are demanding documents, communications, and detailed answers regarding the merger and potential list of conditions between the Trump Administration and Skydance or Paramount by September 3, 2025.
Full text of the letter is available HERE.
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