Tell Congress to investigate Trump-Paramount corruption

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AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

David Ellison’s acquisition of CBS was enabled by a $16 million bribe to Donald Trump, laundered as a settlement of his frivolous lawsuit, and a commitment to alter news content to Trump’s liking.

Now, Ellison wants to repeat the same playbook at CNN and HBO. We need Congress to step up and investigate these bribes and quid pro quo arrangements.

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Tell Congress to investigate Trump-Paramount corruption

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Dear Member of Congress:

I am writing to urge you to investigate the Trump administration’s repeated extraction of bribes and editorial concessions from Paramount and its CEO, David Ellison.

Ellison’s acquisition of CBS’ parent company last year was enabled by a $16 million bribe to Donald Trump, laundered as a settlement of a frivolous lawsuit. Trump’s Federal Communications Commission approved the merger two days after Trump announced that he’d received the payment. The FCC also extracted commitments from Ellison to install a “bias ombudsman” and alter news content to the administration’s liking.

Ellison's new team at CBS has reportedly censored or attempted to censor multiple stories, all of which were critical of Trump or inconsistent with his preferred narratives. Most recently, they eviscerated “60 Minutes,” firing highly respected correspondents and producers. Just-fired correspondent Scott Pelley said in a recent interview that the pressure to appease Trump is like nothing he’s encountered in his decades-long journalistic career.

Now, Ellison wants to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN and HBO, and repeat the same playbook. The Wall Street Journal reported that Ellison promised Trump “sweeping changes” at CNN — including firing journalists Trump doesn’t like — if the administration approves the merger. While Trump baselessly threatens criminal investigations of CNN, Ellison and his father, Larry, throw dinner parties for Trump — and have the nerve to say they’re celebrating the First Amendment.

News outlets have a right to report whatever views they want, including Trump-friendly ones. But Trump does not have the right to abuse the powers of his office to coerce the press into debasing its coverage. Trump cannot be allowed to accomplish the kind of censorship the First Amendment forbids him from implementing by law by instead making backdoor deals with his billionaire buddies.

The American public deserves a full accounting of the deals Trump’s administration has made with Ellison to censor the news in exchange for merger approval. Any wrongdoing — criminal or otherwise — should be thoroughly investigated and those responsible should be held accountable.

Please use all powers available to you to investigate these bribes and quid pro quo arrangements, both now and when the next Congress is seated.

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Thank you for urging your representatives to investigate the Trump administration’s secret and crooked deals with Paramount.

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Tell Congress to investigate Trump-Paramount corruption

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