During a hearing on Friday, February 16, AT&T’s lawyer Daniel Petrocelli complained that CEO Randall Stephenson and his Time Warner counterpart, Jeff Bewkes, had been questioned under oath about their belief that the president was behind the lawsuit, while the companies’ efforts to obtain information about the same subject had been stymied.
Government lawyer Craig Conrath produced a written statement from Makan Delrahim, the head of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust division, attesting that he hadn’t been directed by Trump.
Conrath also argued the lawsuit couldn’t have been motivated by a desire to harm CNN because the network would have continued operating under the settlements the government was willing to accept, such as a sale of Turner Broadcasting.
AT&T is trying to learn if there was any political tampering in the DOJ’s November lawsuit to stop the US$85.4 billion merger, which the agency has said would harm consumers. The government has rejected the company’s request for a list of communications between the White House and Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s office and between Sessions and the antitrust division, Petrocelli said.
US District Court Judge Richard Leon, who oversaw the hearing, said he would rule on Tuesday whether the Justice Department must identify any communications.
Full Content: Bloomberg
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Google ExecAdmitted Firm’s Goal Was to “Crush” Digital Ad Rivals, According to Court Docs
Sep 11, 2024 by
CPI
Former Michigan Football Stars File $50 Million Antitrust Lawsuit Against NCAA
Sep 11, 2024 by
CPI
Oasis Fans Could Be in Line for Ticket Refunds Amid Antitrust Concerns
Sep 11, 2024 by
CPI
FCC Chair Calls for More Competition to SpaceX’s Starlink Network
Sep 11, 2024 by
CPI
Singapore Salon Director Jailed for Contempt in Consumer Protection Case
Sep 11, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Canada & Mexico
Sep 3, 2024 by
CPI
Competitive Convergence: Mexico’s 30-Year Quest for Antitrust Parity with its Northern Neighbor
Sep 3, 2024 by
CPI
Competition and Digital Markets in North America: A Comparative Study of Antitrust Investigations in Mexico and the United States
Sep 3, 2024 by
CPI
Recent Antitrust Development in Mexico: COFECE’s Preliminary Report on Amazon and Mercado Libre
Sep 3, 2024 by
CPI
The Cost of Making COFECE Disappear
Sep 3, 2024 by
CPI