NY Times: Trump Eyes CNN as Leverage in AT&T-Time Warner Merger

White House advisers say President Donald Trump's grenade-lobbing at CNN can partly be attributed to leverage he seeks in the proposed merger of the cable channel's parent company, The New York Times reported.

Trump's Justice Department has final say in the merger between CNN's parent, Time Warner, and AT&T, and though the prospects look good for it to happen, Trump's attacks are a consideration, The Times reported.

Might the president be looking for some conformity from Jeff Zucker's media group, as it pertains to the pending merger?

"It's not something I think about," Zucker told The Times.

Instead, Zucker chalks up Trump's attacks to gamemanship.

"Television is his preferred medium," Zucker told The Times. "And he knows our viewers can be swayed because they’re not watching Fox News or MSNBC."

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