Democratic U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden and their freelance colleague Bernie Sanders are pushing information about Paramount’s efforts to resolve lawsuits filed by Donald Trump in a bid to determine whether media companies violated a federal bribery regulation.

Senators wrote in a letter to Paramount Chairman Shari Redstone that they feared media companies “may be engaging in misconduct involving the Trump administration in exchange for approval of the merger with Skydance Media.”

Trump indicted 60 minutes in a complaint against CBS News in October in an October interview with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, and claimed it was deceptively edited to make her voice better. The company denied the allegations.

But as Paramount pursues the merger with Skydance, it attempts to resolve the case. If the deal passes, it will include $2.4 billion in spending for Redstone’s households, Bloomberg News reported.

Trump's lawsuit was filed in November 2024 and has requested $20 billion. Legal experts predict that Paramount will prevail in the lawsuit if the lawsuit fights it. Nevertheless, Paramount and Trump's lawyers have begun mediating the possible settlement of the lawsuit.

Trump stepped up media attacks during his second presidency, banning the Associated Press from defeating from the White House pool. He also received a $15 million settlement from ABC News in December 2024. He threatened and insulted media coverage he disliked on ABC, CNN and MSNBC, while also pushing for NPR and PBS grants.

Paramount's merger with Skydance requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC leader is Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chairman.

Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News, recently resigned over disagreements regarding handling of lawsuits and mergers. McMahon declined to interview Harris as part of a potential solution with Trump.

60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens resigned in April 2025 because he believes the plan has lost its editorial independence.

Warren, Wyden and Sanders are seeking information about any request for changes to 60 minutes by anyone most important, as well as any details about Trump's discussion to ensure approval of the merger.