Schiff threatens an investigation into ABC, CBS about Trump’s accommodation in the next Congress

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., has threatened to investigate news organizations that have made deals with President Donald Trump if Democrats take control of Congress during the 2026 midterms.

“These studios, these companies, these media companies need to understand that right now it could be a mistake on their part – right now they can have ABC pay the president personally and CBS do the same or change the content, but there will be an investigation into all of this when Congress changes hands. And if there was an improper consideration that went on, say this,” Schiff said. Friday’s installment of the “The City” podcast.

“There will be accounting and companies need to know that if they do corrupt or illegal work or wrong work that there will be accountability… We will not just look at whether there was money changing hands to grease the skids here. That accountability will be very important,” said Schiff.

MOOD ‘SOITING’ INSIDE CNN AS STAFF CONTINUES SHIFTING BETWEEN POSSIBLE PARAMOUNT TAKEOVER, INDIVIDUALS SAY

The Democratic attorney accused the Trump administration of tipping the scales in Paramount’s favor in its bidding war against Netflix to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, which is a Paramount success. Schiff speculated to “The Town” host Matt Belloni that Trump is serious about changing CNN’s content.

CNN, currently under the corporate umbrella of Warner Bros. Discovery, could fall into the hands of Paramount CEO David Ellison and his billionaire father Larry Ellison, who are financially backing Paramount’s $111 billion merger offer. The Ellisons are known for having a chummy relationship with Trump, leaving liberal critics sounding the alarm that CNN will go MAGA under new leadership.

AHEAD OF CBS NEWS: WHO’S IN AND WHO’S OUT AFTER A BUSY YEAR FOR THE NETWORK

David Ellison has sworn off CNN will maintain editorial independence if the takeover of Paramount happens, although he has spoken of his intentions to attract 70% among politicians, the star of the north also applied to CBS News when he took over Paramount last fall.

Representatives of Disney, ABC News, Paramount, CBS News and Warner Bros. Discovery did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

CEO David Ellison is on the verge of taking over Warner Bros. Discovery after beating Netflix in a fierce bidding war for a $111 billion offer. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

In December 2024, just weeks before Trump was sworn into office for his second term, ABC News paid Trump $16 million in damages after filing a defamation lawsuit earlier this year over comments made by “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos.

Stephanopoulos lied that Trump was “convicted of rape” in the case of E. Jean Carroll when in fact a civil judge decided that she was guilty of “sexual harassment.” ABC News issued an apology as part of the settlement, which was reportedly approved by then-Disney CEO Bob Iger.

LIBERALS REJECT ABC’S APOLOGY FOR TRUMP, DEFEND GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: ‘BEND KNEE, MY RING’

Liberal critics are outraged after ABC News and CBS News made multi-million dollar deals for President Donald Trump. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Last July, Paramount and CBS News jointly paid a total of $16 million to settle the president’s lawsuit against the network over how “60 Minutes” edited and aired an interview with his Democratic rival Kamala Harris in 2024. Trump’s legal team, initially seeking $10 billion, accused CBS News of “meddling in the election” by Israel.

Liberal critics at the time said Paramount made the deal to pave the way for its $8 billion merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media. Notably, the Paramount-Skydance merger got the green light from Trump’s FCC days after the deal was reached.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM