Ranking Member Raskin Expands Investigation into Political Interference in CBS News After Scott Pelley Blows Whistle on Newsroom Interference

Washington, D.C. (July 14, 2026)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison demanding answers following new revelations that the company interfered with CBS News editorial decisions to benefit the Trump Administration, including that CBS leadership pressured journalists to alter coverage of immigration protests in Minneapolis and the killing of Renée Good, delayed politically sensitive reporting, and took these corrupt actions while seeking federal approval for its $8 billion Paramount acquisition.

The letter expands Ranking Member Raskin’s ongoing investigation into Paramount Skydance, including whether the company has leveraged its merger activities and regulatory approvals to secure political favor at the expense of independent journalism.

“Of course, tilting and skewing the news in favor of President Trump was always part of the devil’s bargain you struck with his Administration to acquire CBS in the first place. To persuade the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve your $8 billion bid for Paramount, you agreed to settle President Trump’s frivolous and laughable lawsuit against CBS’s 60 Minutes—resulting in a $16 million payout directly to the President and another $20 million in free advertisements or related programming on the network for the Administration.  You also agreed to install a MAGA ‘minder’ in the newsroom to ensure in real time that CBS’s coverage is ideologically aligned with the President’s views,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin.

The inquiry follows the firing of veteran 60 Minutes journalist Scott Pelley, who revealed that CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss directed journalists to portray immigration protesters as more violent and to frame the killing of Renée Good in a manner favorable to the Trump Administration—actions he described as “putting a thumb on the scale” for the Administration.

This interference is not isolated. Weiss delayed a 60 Minutes segment critical of the Administration’s deportations to an El Salvadoran prison, in what newsroom staff described as a “political” decision. A veteran CBS journalist resigned after warning that reporters were being directed to “aim our reporting at a particular part of the political spectrum.” And pressure from CBS’s legal department resulted in The Late Show with Stephen Colbert being blocked from airing an interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico on television.

Tilting and skewing the news in favor of President Trump was part of the bargain struck to secure federal approval of Paramount Skydance’s acquisition. To win FCC approval, the company settled President Trump’s frivolous lawsuit against 60 Minutes, delivering a $16 million payout to the President and millions more in free programming, while installing a political “minder” in the newsroom to monitor coverage in real time.

The same risks now extend beyond CBS. As Paramount Skydance pursues the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, President Trump has openly called for changes to CNN’s ownership and programming and signaled his willingness to intervene in media deals. Paramount Skydance has responded with assurances that it would “make sweeping changes to CNN”—raising the prospect that political interference in newsroom decision-making will spread to another major news organization.

“The House Committee on the Judiciary is committed to scrutinizing how the antitrust laws are enforced, how market power abuses might harm not only competition, but consumers, workers and the public interest, and whether the federal antitrust agencies are promoting competition and innovation—or whether they are using these powers to distort the market and undermine the First Amendment by helping the President’s faithful servants censor the news for his political benefit,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin.

Ranking Member Raskin is requesting communications between Bari Weiss, David Ellison, the Trump White House, and federal officials regarding CBS’s reporting on the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti.

This action builds on a series of prior oversight efforts by Ranking Members Raskin and Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, examining the Paramount-Skydance merger and the media giant’s dealings with the Trump Administration.

Click here to read the letter.