Ex-DOJ officials raise concerns about possible Trump interference in AT&T lawsuit

A group of former Justice Department officials is raising concerns about whether President Donald Trump had any improper influence over the agency’s decision to sue to block the $85 billion AT&T-Time Warner merger. In a federal court filing submitted late March 9, the group urged the judge to explore whether the White House had pressured the Justice Department to file the lawsuit as retaliation for critical coverage from CNN, an outlet that President Trump often criticizes and a subsidiary of Time Warner.

“President Trump has urged a criminal investigation of his political rivals; he has suggested that he can instruct the Department to halt investigations into his associates; and he has claimed an ‘absolute right to do what I want to do with the Justice Department,’ ” the filing reads. “Indeed, this case is being pursued under a cloud, with a perception — at least by some — that DOJ brought this case at the behest of President Trump in order to punish CNN for what he viewed as unfavorable coverage of his administration.”

The group of officials includes Preet Bharara, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York who was fired in the early days of Trump's presidency, and John Dean, who served as President Nixon’s White House counsel after a stint as attorney general. The group noted the president’s long history of clashing with CNN and his pledge on the campaign trail to block the merger. They also argued that his record of threatening to use his regulatory authority to retaliate against media outlets is a major red flag for the lawsuit.