AT&T Is Probing White House Influence in Time Warner Case

[riversedge]

Source: bloomberg.com



February 14, 2018, 8:09 AM CST Updated on February 14, 2018, 11:01 AM CST

Company is seeking to call antitrust chief to testify at trial
DOJ lawsuit to block merger set to go to trial March 19

AT&T Inc. wants to show political tampering as it seeks evidence about whether President Donald Trump influenced the Justice Department’s decision to sue to block the company’s proposed acquisition of Time Warner Inc.

AT&T wants communications between the Justice Department and the White House about the Time Warner takeover, according to a person familiar with the matter. It’s also looking to put the head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, Makan Delrahim, on the witness stand at trial, the person said.

If approved, the deal would reshape the media landscape by uniting a telecom giant with the owner of CNN, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS and HBO. AT&T, the owner of DirecTV, is the largest pay-TV distributor, as well as a powerhouse in mobile phones and landlines. The Justice Department has argued that letting AT&T own the films and TV shows that flow down its pipes would harm consumers and competitors.

AT&T’s move attempts to highlight how the White House may have pulled some strings in the first major antitrust action brought by Trump’s Justice Department. The lawsuit, which is set to go to trial March 19, has sparked speculation that Trump, a relentless critic of Time Warner’s CNN, pushed the department to oppose the deal.

Denying Involvement......................
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Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-14/at-t-is-said-to-probe-white-house-influence-in-time-warner-case?utm_content=politics&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&cmpid%3D=socialflow-twitter-politics

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Geez!! What next!!

[McCamy Taylor]

1. Putin wants only two news sources--Fox and Pravda.

[rurallib]

3. this is probably a very accurate assessment of the situation.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Don't forget RT. nt

[underpants]

2. So I guess the pre-negotiated bonuses didn't do the trick

Hate when that happens

[C Moon]

4. :D

[Wellstone ruled]

5. Bingo,you nailed it.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

7. too much consolidation

Damn that would put a lot of media under one control.

I hope they drag all the TrumPutin dirt out in public and still don't get to swallow Time-Warner.

[riversedge]

8. AT&T Intensifies Battle for Time Warner by Targeting Trumps Role

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-15/at-t-intensifies-battle-for-time-warner-by-targeting-trump-role


AT&T Intensifies Battle for Time Warner by Targeting Trump’s Role
By David McLaughlin
, Scott Moritz
, and Gerry Smith
February 14, 2018, 6:19 PM CST

Company may put U.S. antitrust chief on witness stand at trial
Strategy marks rare move to probe political influence in case

U.S. President Donald Trump Photographer: T.J. Kirkpatrick/Bloomberg

AT&T Inc. is pursuing an unprecedented strategy of injecting politics into the fight to salvage its planned takeover of Time Warner Inc. by threatening to call the head of the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust division to testify about his decision to sue to block the merger.

AT&T believes Trump and the head of the division, who previously worked at the White House and was appointed by Trump, discussed the transaction before the government sued to block the deal in November, according to a person familiar with the matter who wasn’t authorized to discuss the information publicly.

The company is seeking communications between the department and the White House about the merger, and wants to put the head of the division, Makan Delrahim, on its witness list, another person said.

The move carries potential risks and rewards. Evidence that Trump, a relentless critic of Time Warner’s CNN and an opponent of the merger, pushed the Justice Department to sue would undermine the government’s credibility. But Delrahim may welcome the chance to defend the case as a legitimate enforcement action that was filed without political influence.



Trump’s Criticism