US: Trump’s AG nominee to recuse from AT&T-Time Warner appeal

William Barr, President Trump’s nominee for attorney general, promised to recuse himself from the Department of Justice’s lawsuit to block the AT&T-Time Warner merger, according to Reuters.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (Democrat-Minnesota) announced on Friday, January 11, that Barr, who served on Time Warner’s board until recently, made the assurance to her in a private meeting this week.

“As Ranking Member of the Antitrust Subcommittee and as someone deeply concerned about maintaining a marketplace that benefits consumers, it is critically important that the Justice Department is able to complete an unbiased review of the proposed AT&T-Time Warner merger,” Klobuchar, a critic of the US$85 billion deal, said in a statement. “Given Mr. Barr’s ties to Time Warner, this commitment from Mr. Barr to recuse himself from the Department’s review is necessary.”

Barr is scheduled to go before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week for two days of confirmation hearings. Ahead of that, he has submitted financial disclosure forms, as required. Some of the forms, seen by Reuters, describe sizeable investments in stocks, bonds, and real estate.

Among his holdings are US$1.2 million worth of shares in telecom and media company AT&T. He served on the board of Time Warner, which was acquired by AT&T last year, from 2009 until 2018.

Full Content: Reuters

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