Paramount Global for sale latest - Deadline: Donald Trump And Paramount Close Out Lawsuit After $16M Settlement; POTUS Says They “Anticipate” $20M In PSAs From New Owners

Story from Deadline:

Attorneys for Donald Trump and Paramount Global officially gave notice Tuesday that the president’s litigation against CBS is over.

The parties’ joint stipulation of dismissal with prejudice, filed in a Texas federal court, follows the announcement earlier this month that Paramount Global had settled Trump’s lawsuit over the way that CBS News‘ 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris. The settlement contained no apology but called for Paramount to pay $16 million to Trump’s future presidential library.

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that “we have just achieved a BIG AND IMPORTANT WIN in our Historic Lawsuit against 60 Minutes, CBS, and Paramount. Just like ABC and George Slopadopoulos, CBS and its Corporate Owners knew that they defrauded the American People, and were desperate to settle.”

Trump went on to claim that “Paramount/CBS/60 Minutes have today paid $16 Million Dollars in settlement, and we also anticipate receiving $20 Million Dollars more from the new Owners, in Advertising, PSAs, or similar Programming, for a total of over $36 Million Dollars.”

Earlier this month, Trump claimed that the additional amount was $16 million in advertising. His statement on Wednesday, though, was notable in that he stated that they “anticipate” the additional amount.

Paramount Global has denied there was any additional amount to the settlement.

“Contrary to some news reports or media speculation, Paramount’s settlement with President Trump does not include PSAs or anything related to PSAs,” a Paramount Global spokesperson said the day after the settlement was announced. “Paramount has no knowledge of any promises or commitments made to President Trump other than those set forth in the settlement proposed by the mediator and accepted by the parties.”

A Skydance spokesperson declined comment.

Trump sued CBS and Paramount last fall, claiming the network deceptively edited the interview with Harris to boost her election chances. The network denied that, and a 60 Minutes unedited transcript showed that one part of Harris’ answer to a question was shown on Face the Nation and the other part on the 60 Minutes broadcast. The network’s attorneys and a number of legal experts said that the lawsuit was without merit.

But Paramount Global is seeking Trump administration approval for its merger with Skydance. Although Paramount Global said the settlement was unrelated to FCC action, Trump has quickly cited his 60 Minutes complaint when asked about the status of the merger.

On Monday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent a letter to Skydance CEO David Ellison about a potential “side deal” with Trump, saying it raises questions of whether bribery laws were broken. They also asked about the circumstances of CBS’ cancellation last week of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

“These reports raise fresh questions about corruption in the Trump Administration and President Trump’s willingness to accept payments from entities with significant policy interests before agencies he controls,” the three senators wrote.