US: Delrahim: I wasn’t Lobbied by White House on AT&T Deal

Makan Delrahim, president Donald Trump’s nominee to lead antitrust enforcement at the Justice Department, has recently agreed to tell lawmakers if the White House tries to improperly influence any decision he makes on whether to allow AT&T’s US$85 billion acquisition of Time Warner, reports the Wall Street Journal.

According to the Journal, in a meeting between Makan Delrahim and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the two agreed Delrahim would be forthcoming on any approach, Sen. Richard Blumenthal wrote a July 24 letter memorializing the discussion.

“I particularly appreciated your commitment that you will brief me, in an appropriate setting, any time the White House initiates an inappropriate communication with you or anybody in the Antitrust Division,” the senator wrote to Mr. Delrahim after the meeting.

People familiar with the meeting, which also included Senate and Justice Department staffers, confirmed the exchange and said the men also generally discussed the importance of the department’s independence. They said Mr. Delrahim additionally provided assurances that officials at the White House have not sought to lobby him on AT&T.

The White House and the Justice Department communicate with one another, but protocols governing those discussions seek to assure that the department can operate free from improper intervention.

Full Content: Wall Street Journal

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