1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

As your constituent, I urge you to open and support a congressional inquiry into the apparent pay-to-play scheme surrounding the FCC's approval of the Skydance-Paramount merger in July 2025. The facts demand investigation. Days after Paramount settled President Trump's lawsuit with a $16 million payment—a settlement legal experts widely characterized as baseless—the FCC approved the $8 billion merger. Simultaneously, Skydance committed to provide Trump with $20 million worth of free advertising and public service announcements, with Trump publicly stating he expects an additional $20 million, totaling over $36 million in Trump-linked benefits. This is not coincidence. Legal experts have characterized this arrangement as bribery. As House Democrats Jamie Raskin and Frank Pallone stated, if Skydance offered these side payments to Trump in exchange for regulatory approval, such actions "would run afoul of federal and state anti-bribery statutes." Media reporter Dylan Byers concluded that "all available evidence suggests" this was "a payoff dressed up as a settlement." Most troubling is the unprecedented censorship of editorial independence. The FCC imposed never-before-seen controls over CBS News newsroom decisions and editorial judgment, according to Commissioner Anna Gomez. Skydance also agreed to eliminate all DEI programs at Paramount and hired an ombudsman to "root out" alleged bias in news coverage—effectively giving Trump's allies veto power over editorial decisions. This arrangement creates a chilling effect on journalism. Media organizations will now fear that adverse coverage of Trump triggers litigation designed to extract settlement payments and editorial concessions. The public's right to independent news is being weaponized for personal gain. The stakes are enormous: regulatory capture, the weaponization of litigation against media outlets, the elimination of newsroom independence, and the corruption of FCC decision-making through improper influence. I ask you to: Support the House Judiciary and Energy & Commerce Committee investigation Demand full transparency about communications between Skydance, Trump, and FCC officials Investigate the censorship of editorial products and newsroom independence Examine all Trump-linked financial benefits and their role in the approval decision Consider reforms strengthening FCC independence from political influence Thank you for protecting the integrity of federal regulatory authority and press freedom.