The Guardian

07/02/2025

In a late-night announcement, Paramount – which is preparing for a $8.4bn merger that requires approval from the the US Federal Communications Commission, headed by Trump loyalist Brendan Carr – said it would pay the sum to settle the suit.

It said the money would be allocated, at Trump’s discretion, either to his future presidential library or to charitable causes, and not paid to Trump “directly or indirectly”.

“The settlement does not include a statement of apology or regret,” the company statement added.

A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team told the Wall Street Journal that the settlement was “another win for the American people as he, once again, holds the Fake News media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit”.

The lawsuit alleged that CBS, via its news show 60 Minutes, deceptively edited an interview with Harris – then the US vice-president as well as the Democratic presidential candidate – to “tip the scales in favor of the Democratic party” in the election. On the campaign trail last year, Trump threatened to revoke CBS’s broadcasting licence if elected.

The settlement comes as Paramount prepares for an $8.4bn merger with Skydance Media, which requires the approval of federal regulators at the FCC.

But US and California lawmakers have said any settlement may violate bribery laws.

“Paramount appears to be trying to settle a lawsuit that it has assessed as ‘completely without merit’,” the Democratic senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Ron Wyden said in a May letter to Paramount’s chair, Shari Redstone.

“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.”

Sanders said it was “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.”