DOJ: Trump’s dislike of CNN didn’t bias AT&T-Time Warner merger

The Justice Department (DOJ) acknowledged that while President Donald Trump doesn’t like CNN, his unhappiness with the media outlet did not influence a federal antitrust case. “The president is unhappy with CNN. We don’t dispute that,” Justice Department lawyer Craig Conrath said at a pretrial hearing. “But AT&T wants to turn that into a get-out-jail-free card for their illegal merger.” The DOJ is trying to prevent the political argument from becoming part of the case. He also argued that CNN is not key to the government's opposition of the deal. "We want to leave CNN right where it is, doing just what it is doing," Conrath said. "CNN does not matter." Judge Richard Leon of the US District Court for the District of Columbia plans to rule Feb 20 on the issue, which is part of the larger case looking at whether the merger would raise prices.