Ranking Members Raskin and Pallone Demand Paramount Fully Comply with Committees’ Investigation into Paramount-Skydance Merger
Paramount Has Refused to Provide Documents and Information on Merger and Alleged Side Deal that Led to CBS Installing a Minder to Police Newsroom Decisions and Paying Millions in Cash and Free Services to Trump
Washington, D.C. (November 12, 2025)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee and Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, sent a letter to Paramount Skydance Corporation CEO David Ellison, demanding the company comply with the Committees’ investigation into the Skydance-Paramount merger, accusing the company of stonewalling congressional oversight by failing to produce a single document related to millions of dollars in payments and free services provided to Donald Trump in connection with the $8 billion merger approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in July, including the merger agreement and additional documents and communications related to an alleged side deal.
“We write to express our concern over your inadequate and incomplete response to our questions about Paramount’s recent merger with Skydance,” Raskin and Pallone wrote in their letter to Ellison. “The circumstances surrounding the approval raise significant questions...Your counsel’s August 29, 2025 response to our letter not only failed to address any of our requests, it raised additional questions and concerns... your response does not appear to reflect a good-faith effort to cooperate with our Committees’ investigation.”
In August the Committees launched their investigation after reports showed the FCC approved the merger only after Skydance and Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, agreed to pay $16 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit against CBS, offer up to $20 million in free advertising and PSAs, and install an ombudsman to monitor CBS News for “bias” against the President.
Since then, the reports reveal that CBS News appointed Kenneth Weinstein of the Hudson Institute—as its in-house ombudsman, who appears to bring little journalistic or legal experience. Additionally, CBS News named Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief, and acquired The Free Press, reflecting a rightward editorial shift.
Two months have passed since the deadline to fully respond to the Committee’s request, yet Paramount still has not produced the settlement agreement, documents, and communications Committee staff requested in August. Instead, Paramount’s counsel provided partial responseson August 29, that not only failed to address any of the requests, it raised additional questions and concerns.
Ranking Members Raskin and Pallone are reiterating their demand for documents, communications, and detailed answers regarding the merger and the company’s interactions with the Trump Administration.
Click here to read today’s letter to Paramount.