Warren, Sanders, Wyden Question Skydance’s Refusal to Address Trump “Secret Side Deal”

“Your refusal to answer questions, including your refusal to address reports of a side deal, leaves key unanswered questions…[including] whether the existence of such a side deal may run afoul of federal bribery laws.”
Text of Letter to Paramount Skydance (PDF)|July Response from Skydance (PDF)
Washington, D.C. —U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wrote to Paramount Skydance, continuing their investigation into Skydance’s potential side deal with President Trump prior to securing approval of Skydance’s merger with Paramount. In a July response to an earlier letter from the senators, Skydance refused to answer questions about the existence of such a deal, but revealed that “Skydance executives and its representatives have had routine and customary interactions with government officials, including with the Administration, Congress, and federal regulators.”
“The public deserves to know which White House officials met with Skydance executives, and if Skydance cut a side deal with the President in order to grease the skids for its merger approval,”said the senators.
In July, Paramountagreed to payPresident Trump $16 million to settle alawsuitagainst its subsidiary, CBS, regarding editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. Under the settlement agreement, Paramount agreed to pay President Trump’s legal fees, with the rest of the settlement going toward his Presidential Library fund. At the time of the lawsuit, Paramount was awaiting approval from President Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for its merger with Skydance. Weeks after Paramount settled the lawsuit, theFCC approvedParamount’s merger with Skydance.
In July, the senators wrote to Paramount and Skydance asking about a reported “secret side deal” with President Trump and whether the deal was connected to approval of the merger. While Paramount denied the deal was part of their settlement, Skydance’s response provided no clarity on Skydance’s own role in the “secret side deal.”
“Your refusal to answer questions, including your refusal to address reports of a side deal, leaves key unanswered questions…[including] whether the existence of such a side deal may run afoul of federal bribery laws,”said the senators.
These answers are all the more critical given President Trump’s recent comments regarding media companies. Last month, Trumpstated: “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back… Last time I went after [ABC], they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative.”
In order to inform them in their legislative responsibilities regarding corruption, government ethics, and the operations of the FCC and other federal agencies, the senators asked the newly merged company, Paramount Skydance, to reply by October 23, 2025, addressing:
Senator Warren continues to fight against corporate media consolidation and the Trump administration’s disturbing efforts to silence free speech:
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