Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday intensified his pressure campaign on Paramount Global’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, following another major shake-up at CBS News.
CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon on Monday announced that she was stepping down, another bombshell development as its parent company, Paramount, potentially explores a settlement of President Donald Trump’s suit against the company and “60 Minutes.”
“I say to Shari Redstone: Enough is enough,” Sanders wrote on X. “Do not capitulate to Trump’s attack on a free press. Do not settle Trump’s bogus lawsuit against 60 Minutes.”
McMahon wrote in a message to staff that was obtained by Business Insider that it was time for her to “move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership.”
“The past few months have been challenging,” she said in the message. “It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward.”
Paramount declined further comment to Business Insider.
Sanders, an independent from Vermont, has led his colleagues in pressuring Paramount as the company seeks FCC approval of its merger with SkyDance. He and others have expressed skepticism over Paramount’s turnabout from fighting Trump’s lawsuit against CBS.
Trump sued CBS for $10 billion for what he claimed was deceptive editing of “60 Minutes'” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 election. Trump later amended his claim to $20 billion in damages and added Paramount to the suit.
First Amendment organizations have dismissed Trump’s claims, saying that “60 Minutes” was well within its journalistic rights. In April, The New York Times reported that Paramount’s board was discussing a potential settlement.
No deal has yet to be reached.
On May 7, Sanders and eight Senate Democrats wrote to Redstone urging her to “make it clear to President Trump today that Paramount will not surrender to his attack on the First Amendment.”
Last month, Bill Owens, the longtime executive producer of “60 Minutes,” also bowed out. Scott Pelley, one of the show’s longtime correspondents, later expressed his displeasure with the situation on air.
“Stories we’ve pursued for 57 years are often controversial — lately, the Israel-Gaza war and the Trump administration. Bill made sure they were accurate and fair — he was tough that way,” Pelley said during the first “60 Minutes” broadcast that followed Owens’ departure. “But our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways. None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”
