Trump administration to sue to block AT&T-Time Warner deal

Source: Politico




By POLITICO STAFF 11/20/2017 03:51 PM EST

The Department of Justice plans to file a lawsuit Monday to block the AT&T-Time Warner merger, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The move to block the mega-deal comes amid a growing political storm over whether the Trump administration has tried to use its review of the merger to force the sale of CNN, a frequent target of the president's media criticism.

Sources familiar with the $85 billion deal told POLITICO earlier this month that the DOJ gave the companies an ultimatum to either sell Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting, which includes CNN as well as networks like TBS and TNT, or shed satellite television provider DirecTV. The sources said it's clear the government's main sticking point is CNN, which Trump often maligns as "fake news."

Trump administration officials have denied any White House interference in the DOJ's review of the deal.

###

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/20/trump-lawsuit-att-time-warner-merger-250956