Senate Democrats want to know: was YouTube’s Trump settlement a bribe?
Key Takeaways
- Democratic Senators are investigating YouTube's $24.5 million settlement with Donald Trump.
- The lawmakers suspect the settlement may have been a bribe in exchange for favorable treatment in ongoing antitrust lawsuits against Google.
- The settlement resolves a 2021 lawsuit filed by Trump after his suspension from the platform.
- A significant portion of the payment, $22 million, is earmarked for the construction of a new White House ballroom.
- Senators warn that if the settlement was intended to influence the Trump Justice Department's handling of antitrust appeals, it could violate anti-bribery laws.
A group of five Democratic Senators, including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, have formally questioned YouTube's recent $24.5 million settlement with former President Donald Trump regarding his platform suspension. The lawmakers sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan seeking clarification on whether the payout was tied to favorable treatment in ongoing antitrust lawsuits against Google.
Specifically, they are concerned that the settlement could constitute an illegal bribe if it influenced the Trump Justice Department's decisions regarding appeals in those cases, citing federal anti-bribery laws. The settlement resolved a lawsuit Trump filed in 2021, and eyebrows were raised due to the weak legal basis for his suspension claim and the fact that $22 million of the payment was designated for a new White House ballroom.
Google is currently involved in significant antitrust litigation, including one concerning its ad tech monopoly where the government is seeking a dramatic breakup, and the senators want assurance that the settlement won't impact the government's pursuit of stricter remedies.
This action follows earlier warnings from the senators to the companies against paying for favorable treatment, which the companies previously denied engaging in.
