AT&T to ask for White House, DOJ communications if Feds sue to block Time Warner purchase, report says
AT&T (NYSE: T) plans to request court permission for access to communications between the White House and Justice Department about the planned tie-up with Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) , if the government sues to block the deal, Bloomberg reported late Monday, citing sources.The two companies declined to comment on the report. The White House and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment. AT&T announced an $85 billion takeover of Time Warner last fall, but the deal has yet to close. Last week, reports alleged that in order for the Justice Department to approve the sale, CNN would have to be sold. President Donald Trump has often tweeted his criticism of CNN as a purveyor of fake news. The Justice Department has pushed back on the allegation it would require the sale of CNN. A government official familiar with the discussions told CNBC that in order for the deal to go through, the Justice Department has suggested AT&T sell its subsidiary DirecTV or Time Warner's Turner unit, which owns CNN.AT&T CEO and Chairman Randall Stephenson also said in a statement last week the company has "no intention" of selling CNN.Read the full Bloomberg story here. — CNBC's Jeff Cox and Tae Kim contributed to this report. AT&T (NYSE: T) plans to request court permission for access to communications between the White House and Justice Department about the planned tie-up with Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) , if the government sues to block the deal, Bloomberg reported late Monday, citing sources. The two companies declined to comment on the report. The White House and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment. AT&T announced an $85 billion takeover of Time Warner last fall, but the deal has yet to close. Last week, reports alleged that in order for the Justice Department to approve the sale, CNN would have to be sold. President Donald Trump has often tweeted his criticism of CNN as a purveyor of fake news. The Justice Department has pushed back on the allegation it would require the sale of CNN. A government official familiar with the discussions told CNBC that in order for the deal to go through, the Justice Department has suggested AT&T sell its subsidiary DirecTV or Time Warner's Turner unit, which owns CNN. AT&T CEO and Chairman Randall Stephenson also said in a statement last week the company has "no intention" of selling CNN. Read the full Bloomberg story here. — CNBC's Jeff Cox and Tae Kim contributed to this report.
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