Lawmakers within the California Senate plan to probe reviews of a possible settlement between Hollywood large Paramount and President Trump in connection along with his ongoing lawsuit in opposition to CBS Information.
The chair of the California State Senate Vitality, Utilities & Communications Committee and the chair of the Judiciary Committee wrote in a letter to Paramount’s board and two former executives at CBS Information to ask them to testify in regards to the reported settlement talks.
The letter was first reported by Semafor.
Of their letter, the lawmakers cited “the potential chilling effect of Paramount’s settlement on investigative and political journalism” and stated their probe aimed to make sure “the integrity of California’s communications economy, ensuring that public-facing media enterprises compete based on content and quality, not influence, capitulation, or political appeasement.”
Paramount is presently engaged in mediation talks with Trump’s attorneys, who just lately rejected a $15 million settlement provide and threatened additional litigation, The Wall Road Journal reported earlier this week.
Paramount is presently making an attempt to safe a multibillion-dollar merger with fellow leisure large Skydance, a deal that may want approval from regulators to undergo.
Trump sued Paramount, CBS Information and “60 Minutes” final fall over an interview the TV information journal performed with the Democratic nominee for president, former Vice President Kamala Harris, arguing it deliberately edited her solutions to make her look higher.
Earlier this month, a pair of Senate Democrats wrote to the Paramount board warning {that a} settlement with Trump may violate federal bribery regulation.
