Two California senators have called for a hearing on settlement negotiations between Paramount Global and President Trump, saying the deal would constitute bribery to obtain regulatory approval from Skydance Media.

Tom Umberg and Josh Becker suggested in a letter sent Friday that the solution could violate state and federal laws and have a "creepy impact" on investigative and political journalism. The senator invited CBS News Director Wendy McMahon and Bill Owens, who resigned in recent weeks, to testify.

The senators said they were at the beginning of the inquiry, focusing on “ensure that public-oriented media businesses are based on content and quality, rather than impact, surrender or political soothing.”

The letter was first reported by Semafor.

Trump sued CBS for $10 billion last October, claiming that the network engages in consumer fraud through an editor's "60-minute" interview with Kamala Harris. Although CBS argued in court that the lawsuit was not excellent, Paramount controlling shareholder Shari Redstone reportedly pushed for settlement, hoping that doing so would help speed up the $8 billion Skydance of the notes. Trump then revised the lawsuit to seek $20 billion in damages.

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Paramount is willing to pay up to $15 million despite Trump's higher numbers.

Earlier this month, three Democratic U.S. Senators — Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden and Bernie Sanders — raised alerts about the discussion, suggesting that the corruption mockery may have violated federal bribery regulations.

Umberg is a former federal prosecutor. In their letter, he and Becker are both Democrats, suggesting a settlement would also violate California’s unfair competition law and expose board members to shareholder litigation.

"Paramount's surrender will also undermine two fundamental pillars of liberal democracy: the free media and a just rule of law regulation," the senator wrote.

Owens, the executive producer of "60 Minutes", resigned in April, citing intervention in Paramount's CBS company overseer. CBS News President McMahon, who also oversaw local radio stations, resigned on May 19 and cited a clash with Paramount.

The letter invites both to prove to be “friendly witnesses”, suggesting that they may be able to provide insights into the talks and challenges of the Department. Copy the top board on the letter.

Some ethics experts say it is difficult to prove the allegations of bribery in court given the challenge of showing clear quirks.