{"id":2454934,"date":"2025-07-02T18:31:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T22:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sanders-rips-paramounts-16-million-settlement-with-trump\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T18:33:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T22:33:54","slug":"sanders-rips-paramounts-16-million-settlement-with-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sanders-rips-paramounts-16-million-settlement-with-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"Sanders rips Paramount&#8217;s $16 million settlement with Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsanders-rips-paramounts-16-million-settlement-with-trump%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2454934&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In a recent development, Senator Bernie Sanders criticized Paramount Global&#8217;s $16 million settlement wiht former President Donald Trump regarding editing decisions in a CBS News special. The settlement arose from a lawsuit claiming CBS manipulated footage of Vice President Kamala harris to present her more favorably. Sanders condemned the decision, declaring it a &#8220;dark day for freedom of the press,&#8221; arguing it could embolden Trump in his ongoing attacks against media outlets. He expressed concerns about the implications for independent journalism and suggested that the settlement sets a dangerous precedent for First Amendment rights.<\/p>\n<p>Sanders also pointed to the underlying motives of Paramount, suggesting that their pending $28 billion merger with Skydance Media influenced their decision to settle, which could diminish press freedom for financial gain. He, along with Senator Elizabeth Warren, called for an investigation into whether any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-demand-parler-reveal-its-investors-and-creditors\/\" title=\"Democrats Demand Parler Reveal Its Investors And Creditors\">anti-bribery laws<\/a> were violated during this process. The settlement covers legal fees and costs, with funds directed to Trump&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/justice-hunters-pardon-may-have-just-cost-joe-the-presidential-library-of-his-dreams\/\" title=\"Justice: Hunter&#039;s Pardon May Have Just Cost Joe the Presidential Library of His Dreams\">future presidential library<\/a>, rather of being paid directly to him. Critics emphasize that this capitulation may encourage further lawsuits against the media and hinder journalistic integrity, as Trump&#8217;s history of filing lawsuits against critics suggests a pattern of intimidation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Sanders rips Paramount&rsquo;s $16 million settlement with Trump: &lsquo;Dark day for freedom of the press&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2164257\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Bernie Sanders\">Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-VT) lambasted Paramount Global&rsquo;s decision on Wednesday to settle with President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> for $16 million over editing choices in CBS News&rsquo;s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/60-minutes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"60 Minutes\">60 Minutes<\/a><\/em>  election special that made former Vice President Kamala Harris look more favorable.<\/p>\n<p>Sanders claimed independent media were under attack following the settlement of Trump&rsquo;s lawsuit.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3461098\/andre-bauer-senate-bid-replace-lindsey-graham-south-carolina-2026\/\">Former Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer launches Senate bid to replace Lindsey Graham in South Carolina<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3460970\/trump-nominates-alina-habba-us-attorney-new-jersey\/\">Trump nominates Alina Habba to be permanent US attorney for New Jersey<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3459117\/john-thune-trump-agenda-business-model-guide-senate-battles\/\">Thune: Trump agenda &#8216;business model&#8217; to guide future Senate battles<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;It is a dark day for freedom of the press. Paramount&rsquo;s decision to settle with Trump will only embolden him to continue his attack on the media,&rdquo; the independent senator, who caucuses with Democrats, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenSanders\/status\/1940461775574708422\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"posted on X\">posted on X<\/a>. &ldquo;Trump is undermining our democracy and moving us towards authoritarianism, and the billionaires are helping him do it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sanders.senate.gov\/press-releases\/news-sanders-statement-on-paramounts-decision-to-settle-trumps-bogus-lawsuit-against-60-minutes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"longer statement\">longer statement<\/a> followed, with Sanders arguing that CBS&rsquo;s parent company had set an &ldquo;extremely dangerous precedent&rdquo; regarding the First Amendment and &ldquo;government extortion.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It is a dark day for freedom of the press. Paramount&rsquo;s decision to settle with Trump will only embolden him to continue his attack on the media.<\/p>\n<p>Trump is undermining our democracy and moving us towards authoritarianism, and the billionaires are helping him do it. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FwzW74xN0z\">pic.twitter.com\/FwzW74xN0z<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenSanders\/status\/1940461775574708422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Sanders directed his ire not only at Trump for undermining democracy but also toward Paramount for capitulating because of its pending $28 billion merger with Skydance Media that needs to be approved by the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Redstone family is in line to receive $2.4 billion from the sale of Paramount to Skydance, but they can only receive this money if the Trump administration approves this deal,&rdquo; Sanders said. &ldquo;In other words, the Redstone family diminished the freedom of the press today in exchange for a $2.4 billion payday.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) similarly criticized Paramount&rsquo;s settlement with Trump and even called for an <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenWarren\/status\/1940424688750211182\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"investigation\">investigation<\/a> over &ldquo;whether or not any anti-bribery laws were broken&rdquo; in light of the proposed merger.<\/p>\n<p>Sanders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3404359\/bernie-sanders-settling-trump-60-minutes-lawsuit-grave-mistake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"previously warned\">previously warned<\/a> Shari Redstone, the chairwoman of Paramount, that settling Trump&rsquo;s lawsuit would be a &ldquo;grave mistake.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Rewarding Trump with tens of millions of dollars for filing this bogus lawsuit will not cause him to back down on his war against the media and a free press,&rdquo; a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sanders.senate.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/5.6.25-Final-Letter-to-Paramount-re-Lawsuit.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"letter\">letter<\/a> dated May 6 states. &ldquo;It will only embolden him to shakedown, extort, and silence CBS and other media outlets that have the courage to report about issues that Trump may not like.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Sanders&rsquo;s plea to Redstone fell on deaf ears, as indicated by the media corporation&rsquo;s decision to reach an agreement with Trump and other plaintiffs.<\/p>\n<p>Paramount said on Tuesday that the $16 million sum covers plaintiffs&rsquo; fees and costs and will be allocated to Trump&rsquo;s future presidential library instead of being paid to Trump directly. The lawsuit sought $20 billion in damages.<\/p>\n<p>The case stemmed from Harris&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fetterman-to-appear-on-the-view-for-pre-election-interview\/\" title=\"Fetterman to Appear on \u2018The View\u2019 for Pre-Election Interview\">pre-election interview<\/a> with <em>60 Minutes<\/em>, with CBS claiming it edited her lengthy answers for time purposes only.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Trump claimed the network manipulated the interview footage to make his presidential opponent seem more coherent.<\/p>\n<p>The Federal Communications Commission, led by Trump appointee Brendan Carr, then ordered the release of the interview&rsquo;s complete, unedited transcript. CBS and <em>60 Minutes<\/em> complied.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Sanders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3453878\/joe-rogan-feud-bernie-sanders-over-trump-intimidating-media-with-lawsuits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"debated\">debated<\/a> podcast host Joe Rogan on whether Trump&rsquo;s litigation against Paramount and CBS was warranted. More broadly, the lawmaker accused the president of &ldquo;intimidating media&rdquo; by suing broadcast networks.<\/p>\n<p>Like Sanders, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression took issue with Paramount&rsquo;s settlement, which the free speech advocacy organization warned could lead to more government-led lawsuits against the news media.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3460496\/paramount-settlement-trump-60-minutes-controversy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"PARAMOUNT SETTLES WITH TRUMP OVER '60 MINUTES' CONTROVERSY FOR $16 MILLION\">PARAMOUNT SETTLES WITH TRUMP OVER &rsquo;60 MINUTES&rsquo; CONTROVERSY FOR $16 MILLION<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Trump has a long history of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/did-trump-force-dems-to-change-course-on-illegal-immigration-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Did Trump force Dems to change course on illegal immigration? - Washington Examiner\">filing frivolous lawsuits<\/a> to intimidate critics, and his targets have a long history of capitulating to avoid legal headaches. And here, he had the added tactic of using the FCC and its review of the multibillion-dollar Paramount-Skydance merger to bring added pressure to bear,&rdquo; FIRE chief counsel Bob Corn-Revere said in a statement shared with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;This settlement will only embolden the president to continue his flurry of baseless lawsuits against the press and against the American people&rsquo;s ability to hear the news free from government intrusion.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2164257\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2164257\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sanders criticizes Paramount&#8217;s $16M settlement with Trump: &#8216;Dark day for press freedom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2454935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sanders_oligarchy.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[54802,5894,3981,9811,3634],"class_list":["post-2454934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-paramount-2","tag-politics","tag-sanders","tag-settlement","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sanders_oligarchy.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2454934"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2454938,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2454934\/revisions\/2454938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2454935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2454934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2454934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2454934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}