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Shari and the Senators
A new letter from three top Democratic senators warns Shari Redstone that settling Trump’s lawsuit could be more than a capitulation—it could be a crime.
Oliver Darcy
May 20, 2025
Shari Redstone. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
On Tuesday morning, three senators dispatched a letter to Paramount Global boss Shari Redstone, the culmination of growing worry among Democrats on Capitol Hill that the media conglomerate could be on the brink of engaging in an unlawful quid pro quo with Donald Trump. In the letter—signed by Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, and Bernie Sanders—the lawmakers warned that if Paramount settles Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” segment to win favor with the Trump administration, it could constitute criminal bribery—something that I'm told has also been cause for concern among the company's three co-chief executives.
The senators reminded Paramount that it is illegal to “corruptly give anything of value”—in this case, a lucrative legal payout—in exchange for government action: namely, federal approval of its pending merger with Skydance Media. They pressed Redstone on whether the company has…
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Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson appear on The Megyn Kelly Show (Screen grab)
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