CNN commentator Brian Stelter suggested Monday that the Justice Department stepping in to stop a planned merger between AT&T and Time Warner was because of President Trump’s “animosity” toward the host’s network.
WATCH:
News broke Monday that the Justice Department was planning to sue to block a merger between AT&T and Time Warner over anti-trust concerns.
CNN is under the umbrella of Time Warner, and Stelter said Monday that the decision could have been political.
The CNN commentator stated, “One of the big questions in court, Jim, is going to be about the Trump administration and the Trump factor.”
He continued, “Was President Trump’s disdain for CNN, his animosity towards this channel, a factor in the decision? Did he or his White House aides influence the government, the Justice Department officials that actually went ahead and sued? Right now the DOJ denies that, says that is untrue, says this was a normal decision made by career officials in the DOJ. But that question about Trump’s influence or perceived influence may be a factor in court.”