Referencing their previous inquiry over the summer, the new letter states that “we warned that under the federal bribery statute, it is illegal to corruptly give anything of value to federal officials to influence an official act, and the existence of a side deal with the President to facilitate merger approval may violate anti-bribery laws.” It continues, “In your July 31 response, you refused to answer any questions about the existence of a side deal with President Trump, stating only that ‘Skydance executives and its representatives have had routine and customary interactions with government officials, including with the Administration, Congress, and federal regulators.'”
The senators have reason to believe a side deal exists, because Trump said it does; he’s claimed that the $16 million Paramount settlement is actually worth more than $30 million. This would align with the suggestion that new Paramount CEO David Ellison secretly promised Trump at least $20 million worth of advertising, public service announcements or “similar programming” (via Variety). Paramount has denied making any such promises, but Warren found the company’s response to her initial inquiry—which didn’t outright deny a side deal, but stated Paramount complied with the nation’s anti-bribery laws—”dodgy.”
The latest letter requests a response from Ellison by October 23, laying out any contact with the specific figures from the Trump admin and detailing “any arrangement—either a formal written agreement or an ‘unwritten understanding’—under which you, Skydance, or any entity affiliated with Skydance or the new Paramount will provide compensation, advertising or promotional activities that in any way assist President Trump, his family, his Presidential Library, or other administration officials.”
After condemning Paramount regarding the cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Elizabeth Warren has continued to keep a close eye on the situation. After reports that the Ellisons were preparing a bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, she posted on Twitter/X, “Remember when Trump announced a multimillion-dollar secret deal with CEO David Ellison? And then — shocker — Trump approved Ellison buying CBS/Paramount. Now, Ellison wants to take over CNN/Warner Bros. This media merger must be blocked as a dangerous concentration of power.”
