Democratic Senators Warn Paramount's Shari Redstone That Trump Lawsuit Settlement May Violate Federal Bribery Statute
Source: Deadline
Democratic Senators Warn Paramount’s Shari Redstone That Trump Lawsuit Settlement May Violate Federal Bribery Statute
By Ted Johnson
May 20, 2025 7:27am
Three senators have sent a letter to Paramount Global’s Shari Redstone warning that a potential settlement of Donald Trump‘s $20 billion lawsuit against CBS may violate federal bribery laws.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote that “Paramount appears to be trying to settle a lawsuit that it has assessed as ‘completely without merit,’ and moderating the content of its programs in order to obtain approval of this merger. Under the federal bribery statute, it is illegal to corruptly give anything of value to public officials to influence an official act. If Paramount officials make these concessions in a quid pro quo arrangement to influence President Trump or other Administration officials, they may be breaking the law.”
Redstone is non-executive chairwoman of Paramount Global and controlling shareholder.
The senators cite 18 U.S.C. 201, which prohibits giving anything of value to a public official for the purposes of influencing their decisions.
In October, Trump sued CBS over the way that 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris. The lawsuit alleges violations of Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which is typically used by consumers for false advertising claims. A number of legal experts see Trump’s lawsuit as meritless, but the litigation comes as CBS-parent Paramount Global seeks Trump administration approval for its merger with Skydance.
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Read more: https://deadline.com/2025/05/senators-trump-lawsuit-cbs-60-minutes-1236405644/
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