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Sen. Bernie Sanders called out the Redstone family for selling out press freedom and democracy in exchange for a payout via getting the Trump administration to approve their merger.
Sen. Sanders said in a statement:
The decision by the Redstone family, the major owners of Paramount, to settle a bogus lawsuit with President Trump over a 60 Minutes report he did not like is an extremely dangerous precedent in terms of both the First Amendment and government extortion.
Paramount’s decision will only embolden Trump to continue attacking, suing and intimidating the media which he has labeled “the enemy of the people.” It is a dark day for independent journalism and freedom of the press — an essential part of our democracy. It is a victory for a president who is attempting to stifle dissent and undermine American democracy.
It’s pretty obvious why Paramount chose to surrender to Trump. The Redstone family is in line to receive $2.4 billion from the sale of Paramount to Skydance, but they can only receive this money if the Trump administration approves this deal. In other words, the Redstone family diminished the freedom of the press today in exchange for a $2.4 billion payday.
Make no mistake about it. Trump is undermining our democracy and rapidly moving us towards authoritarianism and the billionaires who care more about their stock portfolios than our democracy are helping him do it. That is beyond unacceptable.
The current fight in the country is about democracy versus autocracy. It is really about the billionaires versus everyone else. Billionaires are putting themselves ahead of the good of the country and are undermining democracy to suit their own interests.
The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” is the policy manifestation of the upward redistribution of national resources to the wealthiest individuals.
Trump’s lawsuit was baseless. In any other time, Paramount would have fought it, but the country has been corrupted by Trump. In effect, this is bribery, and the losers are the American people and press freedom.
Do you agree with Sen. Sanders? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
