By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic Senator Adam Schiff asked the Federal Communications Commission whether President Donald Trump sought programming or media coverage commitments as part of the approval of CBS-parent Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance Media.
Schiff on Monday sought details from FCC Chair Brendan Carr on potential political influence by Trump on the review, citing the $16 million settlement paid by Paramount to Trump weeks before the merger’s approval and a series of meetings the FCC held with company executives.
The senator also asked if the FCC had talks with the companies concerning specific programs, including “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” during the merger review. CBS announced in July the Late Show would be canceled next year.
Schiff said the sequence of events “raises significant questions and alarm that the FCC – an independent regulatory agency – has become a vehicle for President Trump to exact personal retribution and undermine the freedom of the press.”
Paramount, the White House and the FCC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who last month also sought answers on the review, suggested that the FCC’s goal was “government censorship” in approving the deal. “The FCC is engaged in an unprecedented and illegal campaign to chill free speech and independent news reporting protected by the First Amendment,” Blumenthal wrote.
The FCC voted 2-1 to approve the $8.4 billion merger after Skydance agreed to ensure CBS news and entertainment programming is free of bias, hire an ombudsman for at least two years to review complaints and end diversity programs.
Trump has repeatedly attacked broadcast networks for what he perceives as biased news coverage and called on Carr to rescind their licenses.
Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez accused Paramount of “cowardly capitulation” to the Trump administration. She also said the FCC was imposing “never-before-seen controls over newsroom decisions and editorial judgment, in direct violation of the First Amendment and the law.”
Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle a $20 billion lawsuit filed by Trump, claiming CBS News’ “60 Minutes” deceptively edited an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Paramount did not admit wrongdoing.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
