How Paramount’s $16-million Trump settlement came together

At the beginning of spring, Paramount was in a global crisis. President Trump would not go through a dazzling amount of money and apology from the company to solve his case through the CBS News “60 minutes” interview with Kamala Harris. The journalists in the storey publisher were rebelling against the parent company.

Meanwhile, Paramount’s installed fading pressure faced and the company’s agreement or agreement would collapse with a settlement that was commonly seen for government approval for the sale of $ 8 billion to David Ellison’s Skydance media.

Then a new emergency exploded.

On May 4, the CBS released a harsh “60 minutes” segment aimed at target Trump’s legal firms. Reporter Scott Pelley anchored the report based on an interview with the leading Trump irritating – the oldest Hillary Clinton advisor Marc Elias.

Trump was angry. According to people close to the situation that was not authorized to comment, he threatened with an additional lawsuit against insulting.

At the end of the drama behind the scene, Paramount and the President would agree to pay $ 16 million to end his war on the regulations on the October Harris interview, which Trump claimed to have been manipulated to increase the election chance of then. Trump’s case demanded a $ 20 billion damage.

The agreement argued for months among the constellations of a power players with competing interests: Mayor, Mogul Shari Redstone, Technology billionaire Larry Ellison and his son Hollywood Super Agent Ari Emanuel, CBS News, the leader Wendy McMahon, and a former Nbcuversal Chief, Backed’s Skyndende.

The settlement, approved by the President late on Tuesday, included Trump’s allegations and resources and a commitment to file a lawsuit in May “60 minutes”, according to a paramount statement.

Paramount said Trump agreed to pay legal fees. The rest of the $ 16 million settlement will go to the future presidential library.

However, according to knowledgeable sources, the company behind the “mission: impossible” and “Yellowstone” and “Yellowstone” and “Yellowstone” and the Trump team gathered victories based on a payment of $ 100 million.

The company also refused to apologize for the report or regulations of the CBS, to apologize for the stance of journalistic ethics and the right to protect the rights of the 1st change.

“This settlement allows Paramount to focus on the potential sale of Paramount and protect the CBS principles, C. “But the principle has the price and there was definitely one here.”

The eight -month collision with Trump shed a harsh sheds on Paramount’s security deficits and the deep sections within the company and its possible new owners.

Paramount had a narrow window to reach the ceasefire. The company wanted to conclude the agreement before Wednesday, when Paramount organized an annual shareholder meeting and attended the board of directors of three new members.

“This [settlement] It was about survival – it was dark, ”Fields said.“ Paramount has to sell Skydance to survive. ”

At first, Paramount’s sale to the Ellison family seemed to be a definite bet. Larry Ellison, the founding partner of Oracle Corp., is a possible buyer for Tiktok, close to Trump and is another interest in the president. The turning point that was shot a year ago can reshape one of Hollywood’s original studios and entertainment views.

Redstone and his family, entertainment assets, National Amusements Inc. And they agreed to control the Paramount shares. The shaky financing of the family was a catalyst for sales. Last year, Redstone had heavy borrowing to fulfill its debt obligations, including a loan of $ 186 million from Larry Ellison. The family awaits money from Paramount and national entertainment sales to Ellisons and Redbird, a private capital company.

But an unexpected false step changed the route of the agreement.

In the autumn, “60 minutes” invited Trump and Harris to participate in the election talks. Trump accepted, then retreated. CBS News came to the fore with a Harris sitting.

Reporter Bill Whitaker asked Harris about the rocky relations of Biden administration with the Israeli Prime Minister. The producers used different parts of their response in two programs: a curved response in the CBS’s Sunday morning “Face the National, and a shorter section of the“ 60 minutes ”.

Trump and his supporters were reset to inconsistency. They accused CBS of interviewing a doctor. CBS News rejected the claim, saying that the arrangements are routine.

Days before the election, Trump filed a lawsuit in Trump, Amarillo, Texas and enabled the case to be controlled by a judge appointed by Trump.

The case claimed that the “60 -minute” arrangements had election intervention – “Malicious, deceptive and important news corruption calculated to confuse, deceive and mislead the people”.

President Donald Trump at the oval office.

(Bloomberg)

1. Amendment experts said that the case has no value; Some thought it was a campaign stunt.

Days later, Paramount’s president, Redbird manager Shell, must take over Skydand, a conference meeting with the best CBS executives. According to people familiar with the issue, Shell suggested that the “60 minutes” released full Harris interview transcript in a transparency proposal.

He rejected news managers and drew a clear section between some senior paramount executives and Ellison’s team.

These Paramount executives, at the end of last year, including a comment on McMahon’a Shell’s participation, the company said that the company will need to settle at the end, he said. Skydence said that it was an agreement that gives Paramount and Ellison and Shell the ability to give input in the lock business even before acquiring Paramount.

Shell spokesman refused to comment.

After accepting an inappropriate relationship with a sub -class, the role of the shell from the previous role that ruled NBCuniversal is controversial. The representatives of the “South Park” creators accused him of overcoming his authority and mixing with a long negotiation on the flow rights for long -standing cartoon. The Shell representative rejected this accusation.

Trump had previously won victory over media organizations. In December, Walt Disney Co. agreed to pay him $ 16 million, including $ 1 million for attorneys’ fees, and terminated an inconvenience due to the misconduct of the ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos in Trump’s responsibility in a legal court case. Press lawyers Howled.

Paramount made the company. However, Trump’s case could not be rejected or moved to a court in New York on which the CBS and the “60 minutes ında were based.

So the company was in a box. Sold to Skydence requires the approval of the Federal Communication Commission to be approved to transfer CBS TV Station licenses to Ellison.

In one of his first moves as FCC president, Brendan Carr, who was appointed Trump, launched an investigation of whether the CBS’s Harris interview arrangements for the distortion level – whether Trump’s case was the basis of his case.

In February, Carr asked CBS to release a raw transcription of Harris interview and unrelated images. CBS satellite; The material showed that Harris was correctly quoted.

Texas judge ordered the lawyers of Paramount and Trump’s lawyers. The negotiations started on April 30.

At that weekend, “60 minutes” published his report on Trump and law firms about Rilling Redstone and others. The sources said the Trump team and Paramount are already far away.

Soon, the President of the CBS News and Stations Wendy McMahon was forced. The knowledgeable sources attributed their separation to Redstone, who served as Paramount’s chair, for months of contention and permanent criticism. McMahon also took the wrong steps, including inspection of the failure of the “CBS Evening News”.

His exit has followed Bill Owens, the producer of “60 minutes olmuş who had fought with efforts to settle.

On the day of McMahon’s dismissal, the left -leaning US Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-VT.) And Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) Lobbed a salvo in Redstone. In a letter on May 19, Paramount warned that members of the board of directors have risks possible bribery charges if they pay Trump to solve the case as a way to gain FCC approval for the SKYDANCE agreement.

In early June, the Redstone and Ellison team were restless.

Agent Emanuel, familiar with the issue, took steps to help to set off the agreement again. Emanuel is one of Trump’s former talent agent and the closest allies of Ellison.

On June 7, Ellison met briefly with Trump at a UFC event in New Jersey. Emanuel is the General Manager of TKO, the Chief of the Executive Committee of the WME group and the parent company of UFC.

According to a source, the Trump -backed UFC General Manager Emanuel Associate Dana White helped facilitate the Ellison meeting with the president, which took place from the octagonal of warriors.

People close to Ellison and Emanuel refused to discuss Ellison’s interactions with the president. Representatives of Skydence, Redstone and Emanuel refused to comment for this story.

Finally, although Trump continued to detonate Harris and CBS News, a breakthrough came when Trump offered support to the agreement with Ellison and Skydance.

“Ellison is great, Tr Trump said on June 18 from the White House Çimen. “He will do a great job with him.”

By the way, the clock was passing. When Redstone et al., One director resigned and joined the board of directors of three new members, asked the Board to address the settlement before the shareholder meeting.

Redstone refused to vote, but announced its requests.

The settlement was reached about 10 hours before the change of the paramount board.

A person close to the legal effort, Trump’s sweetener because of the agreement “exceeded the end line” said. At the end of the Paramount Networks, the team predicts that it will carry out free advertising or public service announcements worth millions of dollars to support the causes of Trump, including the combating anti -Semitism and border security increasing.

Paramount rejected it.

“Paramount’s agreement with President Trump does not contain PSAs,” the company said in a statement. “There is no promise or commitment information other than those specified in the settlements that are proposed by the mediator to President Trump and accepted by the parties.”

Skydance refrained from commenting. Emanuel did not answer messages.

The settlement contains another provision supported by Trump. “60 minutes” will publish the transcripts of interviews with appropriate US presidential candidates after interviews that are “subject to rejection when necessary for legal or national security concerns”.

1. Amendment advocates courage by the agreement. Trump’s enemies, including senators who promised to investigate the bribery agreement.

Paramount’s “60 -minute” report, which he didn’t like with President Trump, said the movement of filing a false lawsuit is an extremely dangerous precedent ”. “Paramount’s decision will force Trump only to attack, sue and scare the media.”