Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said the settlement between Paramount and President Donald Trump is a precedent in “government extortion.”
“The decision by the Redstone family, the major owners of Paramount, to settle a bogus lawsuit with President Trump over a 60 Minutes report he did not like is an extremely dangerous precedent in terms of both the First Amendment and government extortion,” Sanders said in a statement.
He continued: “Paramount’s decision will only embolden Trump to continue attacking, suing and intimidating the media which he has labeled ‘the enemy of the people.’ It is a dark day for independent journalism and freedom of the press — an essential part of our democracy. It is a victory for a president who is attempting to stifle dissent and undermine American democracy.”
Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, announced Tuesday that it had agreed to settle a lawsuit with the president after Trump sued CBS News over its “60 Minutes” episode with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump claimed it was edited to make her look more favorable.
This settlement paves the way for Paramount to merge with Skydance Media, which needs approval from the Trump administration.
Sanders said the merger makes it “obvious” why Paramount decided to settle with Trump.
“It’s pretty obvious why Paramount chose to surrender to Trump,” Sanders said in his statement. “The Redstone family is in line to receive $2.4 billion from the sale of Paramount to Skydance, but they can only receive this money if the Trump administration approves this deal. In other words, the Redstone family diminished the freedom of the press today in exchange for a $2.4 billion payday.
He continued: “Make no mistake about it. Trump is undermining our democracy and rapidly moving us towards authoritarianism and the billionaires who care more about their stock portfolios than our democracy are helping him do it. That is beyond unacceptable.”
In May, Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) sent a letter to Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone, writing that they are concerned Paramount might be “engaging in potentially illegal conduct” with the Trump administration.
And again in May, Sanders appeared on CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and said if Paramount settled with Trump, it would set a dangerous precedent for other media companies.
The money from the settlement will go toward Trump’s future presidential library. As part of the settlement, “60 Minutes” will release transcripts of the interviews the news program conducts with presidential candidates.
