CRACKDOWN

DOJ Reportedly Prepping Antitrust Lawsuit Against AT&T

Justice Dept. reportedly pressured AT&T to ditch CNN’s parent company in the merger.

The Justice Department is preparing an antitrust lawsuit against AT&T over the company’s proposed merger with Time Warner, Bloomberg reported Monday. The Trump administration had previously shown potential intent to block the $85.4-billion merger over Time Warner’s ownership of CNN, a news outlet Trump routinely accuses of unfair coverage of his presidency. The DOJ’s antitrust division reportedly threatened the merger, asking AT&T to sell CNN’s parent company or face federal action. The Daily Beast reported that CNN insiders said the alleged ultimatum was a shock, and accused the Trump administration of “interference in a totally straightforward business deal.”