Dem Lawmaker: DOJ's Push for CNN Sale 'Merits Investigation'

Democrats and liberal groups are raising concern over reports that the Department of Justice pushed for the sale of CNN as a prerequisite to approve the mega merger between AT&T and Time Warner, Politico reported.

In fact Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, is already calling for an investigation.

Reports surfaced earlier this week that the Trump administration told AT&T it would have to divest assets as a condition to meet antitrust laws and approval for the merger.

However, with CNN being one of those assets, the optics are bad considering the social media war President Donald Trump has waged on the cable news network over its coverage of him.

"While there are plenty of good reasons to oppose AT&T's Time Warner takeover, punishing CNN for trying to hold this administration accountable isn't one of them," Craig Aaron, president of liberal group Free Press, which opposes the AT&T-Time Warner deal, told Politico.

"No matter where you come down on this merger, everyone should agree that the government shouldn't base antitrust decisions or FCC rulings on whether it likes a newsroom's coverage," Aaron told Politico.

However, one prominent Democrat said proposing divestitures in the name of preserving competition is exactly what the DOJ should be doing.

"The DOJ seems to be doing its job, and I hope it will continue imposing scrutiny and action to protect free market competition and First Amendment free expression," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Politico.

For its part, the White House says nobody in the administration has proffered any guidance on the merger.

"The president did not speak with the Attorney General about this matter, and no White House official was authorized to speak with the Department of Justice on this matter," White House spokesman Raj Shah said.

• AT&T CEO Says He Won't Sell CNN as Tension Rises Over Antitrust
• AT&T Confident of Approval for Time Warner Deal