Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, is calling out CBS parent company Paramount Global, accusing it of paying a “bribe” to President Donald Trump to smooth the path for its pending merger with Skydance Media.
In a fiery statement Wednesday, Wyden blasted Paramount’s surprise $16 million settlement with Trump over his lawsuit against 60 Minutes, calling the move a “middle-of-the-night payoff” linked to political pressure. He warned that once Democrats regain power, he would lead efforts to bring federal charges against the company.
“Paramount just paid Trump a bribe for merger approval,” Wyden declared. “When Democrats retake power, I’ll be first in line calling for federal charges. In the meantime, state prosecutors should make the corporate execs who sold out our democracy answer in court, today.”
The settlement comes as Paramount seeks regulatory approval for an $8 billion merger with Skydance. Trump’s Federal Communications Commission had recently launched probes into CBS-owned stations — a move many saw as a way to hold up the deal.
Trump celebrated the outcome, with his legal team calling the $16 million payout a “record settlement” and declaring it a win for “the American people.”
“President Donald J. Trump delivers another win as he holds the Fake News media accountable,” the statement read. “CBS and Paramount Global realized the strength of this historic case and had no choice but to settle. President Trump will always ensure that no one gets away with lying to the American People as he continues his mission to Make America Great Again.”
Trump initially filed a $10 billion lawsuit against 60 Minutes, later doubling the demand to $20 billion. He alleged the show had deceptively edited a 2024 interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris, claiming it constituted election interference.
CBS had aired a short preview clip from the interview that included a 21-second response from Harris about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The full broadcast later featured only a 7-second portion of her answer. The show eventually released the full unedited footage and transcript.
Though major networks routinely edit interviews for time and clarity, Trump insisted the edit was intentional and misleading.
The legal firestorm also coincided with turmoil inside CBS News. In recent months, CEO Wendy McMahon and 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens both abruptly exited their roles. Media insiders said internal concerns were growing over the network’s editorial independence under mounting political and corporate pressure.
