Skydance has formally addressed a series of inquiries from Senate Democrats, asserting its full compliance with anti-bribery laws throughout its history and specifically during the ongoing review of its proposed Paramount Acquisition, while unequivocally denying any involvement in CBS’s decision to cancel Stephen Colbert’s show.

In a letter penned by Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon, Skydance’s General Counsel, to Senators Ed Markey, Bernie Sanders, and Ron Wyden, the company emphasized its consistent adherence to all applicable statutes, including national anti-bribery laws, underscoring its commitment to lawful business practices amidst the high-profile media mergers landscape.

The senators had previously written to Skydance CEO David Ellison, highlighting the illegality of providing “anything of value to federal officials to influence an official act,” specifically referencing former President Donald Trump’s claims about Paramount Global’s settlement of his lawsuit, which included public service advertising commitments, thereby initiating the Senate Oversight into the matter.

McKinnon clarified Skydance’s stance, stating the company was “neither a party to the lawsuit nor to Paramount’s settlement of its litigation with the president,” noting that Paramount retained independent discretion under the merger agreement to settle litigation up to $50 million without Skydance’s consent, except for a specific term regarding public transcripts of interviews with presidential candidates.

Addressing another key query, Skydance firmly denied any involvement in CBS’s decision leading to the Stephen Colbert Cancellation, with McKinnon indicating that Paramount merely provided notice after making its own independent determination, shortly before the public announcement, thereby further clarifying Skydance Compliance.

This aligns with Paramount Global’s prior response to Senator Markey, where co-CEO George Cheeks explained the cancellation was purely a financial decision driven by a challenging economic climate for late-night television, unrelated to the show’s content or performance, a decision reportedly made well before Colbert’s monologue about the Trump settlement.

Furthermore, McKinnon outlined Skydance’s perceived public interest benefits of the transaction, including a renewed focus on revitalizing CBS television network and its local stations, with a commitment to unbiased journalism and ensuring editorial decision-making at CBS News reflects a broad range of viewpoints and remains free from government intrusion or politicization, a principle central to responsible media ownership and ongoing Senate Oversight.