Trump Distances Himself From Push for AT&T to Sell CNN

President Trump on Saturday insisted he had nothing to do with the Justice Department’s push for AT&T to sell off CNN as part of the telecommunications giant’s $85 billion bid for Time Warner. “I didn’t make that decision,” Trump told reporters when asked whether he wanted AT&T to sell CNN. Trump was critical of the merger throughout his campaign and has repeatedly slammed CNN as “fake news.” But he said Saturday the decision “was made by a man who’s actually a very respected person—a very, very respected person.” Trump appeared to be referring to Makan Delrahim, the Justice Department’s antitrust chief in charge of overseeing the AT&T deal. Delrahim told AT&T this week that it would have to shed assets like DirecTV or Turner Broadcasting, CNN’s parent company, in order to mitigate anti-competition concerns. “I did make a comment as to what I think. I do feel you should have as many news outlets as you can — especially since so many are fake,” Trump said. AT&T's chief executive, Randall Stephenson, has said the company is prepared to fight the Justice Department in court if the agency attempts to block the deal.