President Donald Trump claimed that Skydance Media, once its deal to merge with Paramount Global is approved, is expected to contribute $20 million in advertising, public service announcements or “similar programming,” as part of a side deal alongside Paramount’s $16 million payment to settle his lawsuit accusing “60 Minutes” of deceptive editing.
Sources familiar with the situation said Skydance does not have any side deal with Trump under which it would grant free advertising to the president. (Skydance declined to comment.) Paramount has said that its settlement with Trump — under which it paid $16 million, most of which will go to his future presidential library — “does not include PSAs or anything related to PSAs. Paramount has no knowledge of any promises or commitments made to President Trump other than those set forth in the settlement proposed by the mediator and accepted by the parties.” The statement from Trump’s legal team about the Paramount settlement issued July 1 did not include any references to advertising or PSAs as part of the agreement.
But Trump now claims the settlement over his “60 Minutes” lawsuit is worth “over $36 million” in total. Earlier this month, he told reporters that the settlement was worth “like $32 [million] to maybe $35 million.” A New York Post report published July 2 claimed that Skydance CEO David Ellison had agreed to a “secret side deal” with Trump agreeing to provide an additional $15 million-$20 million worth of ads that “support conservative causes supported by President Trump.”
Trump, Paramount and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr have each claimed the “60 Minutes” settlement is unrelated to the administration’s approval of Skydance’s pending $8 billion takeover of Paramount.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, regarding Trump’s claim he is getting an extra $20 million in advertising from Skydance, said in a post on X, “This reeks of corruption.” She previously characterized the Paramount/CBS settlement with Trump as “bribery” and called for an investigation into “whether or not any anti-bribery laws were broken.”
On Monday, Warren and Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ron Wyden sent a letter to Skydance’s Ellison, asking whether Skydance and Trump had a “secret side deal” apart from the Paramount settlement — and whether Skydance had anything to do with CBS’s cancelation of “The Late Shaw With Stephen Colbert.”
“Are we still supposed to believe that canceling Colbert’s show on CBS was ‘purely a financial decision’?” she said Tuesday.
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Here’s Trump’s full comment, posted on Truth Social Tuesday: “BREAKING NEWS! We have just achieved a BIG AND IMPORTANT WIN in our Historic Lawsuit against 60 Minutes, CBS, and Paramount. Just like ABC and George Slopadopoulos, CBS and its Corporate Owners knew that they defrauded the American People, and were desperate to settle. Paramount/CBS/60 Minutes have today paid $16 Million Dollars in settlement, and we also anticipate receiving $20 Million Dollars more from the new Owners, in Advertising, PSAs, or similar Programming, for a total of over $36 Million Dollars. This is another in a long line of VICTORIES over the Fake News Media, who we are holding to account for their widespread fraud and deceit. The Wall Street Journal, The Failing New York Times, The Washington Post, MSDNC, CNN, and all other Mainstream Media Liars, are ON NOTICE that the days of them being allowed to deceive the American People are OVER. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
From Variety US