Report: Justice Department Wants Sale of CNN Before Approving AT&T-Time Warner Deal

The Justice Department told AT&T that it should sell Turner Broadcasting, which oversees CNN, before it will approve the company’s pending $85.4 billion deal with Time Warner, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. The merger could also reportedly be approved if AT&T instead sells DirecTV. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said later Wednesday that he has “never offered to sell CNN and have no intention of doing so.” The Justice Department is assessing antitrust concerns surrounding the deal, which would create a giant media and telecommunications company. President Donald Trump has lashed out at CNN throughout his presidency for what he calls their “biased” reporting on his administration.