T AT&T Inc

By Brent Kendall 

WASHINGTON -- A federal judge ruled Tuesday that AT&T Inc. isn't entitled to details of the Trump administration's internal discussions on the company's proposed merger with Time Warner Inc.

The ruling was a blow to AT&T's plans to argue that the government challenged the deal for political reasons.

AT&T, which is defending the would-be merger against a Justice Department lawsuit, has argued that the government's case was influenced by President Donald Trump's opposition to the deal and his disdain for Time Warner's CNN, a network he has criticized repeatedly.

The Justice Department has denied the charges. At a court hearing Friday, it argued the companies should be prohibited from making such claims during the coming trial on whether the proposed merger violates federal antitrust law.

AT&T in turn requested that the Justice Department be required to produce a log of certain communications, if any exist, about the White House's input on the transaction.

The company sought information on potential communications between the White House and the attorney general's office, as well as internal Justice Department communications that cited the president's views.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon denied AT&T and Time Warner's request in a seven-page opinion, saying the companies "have not made a credible showing that they have been especially singled out" by the Justice Department's lawsuit.

"We respect the judge's decision and look forward to the coming trial," AT&T attorney Daniel Petrocelli said in a statement.

A Justice Department spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The trial is scheduled to begin March 19.

The Justice Department previously did produce a log that listed certain communications between the White House and the department's antitrust division, but said all those communications involved preparations for antitrust chief Makan Delrahim's Senate confirmation hearing.

Mr. Delrahim was confirmed in September as head of the antitrust division and made the decision to sue AT&T in November, alleging the Time Warner acquisition would lead to higher prices and less innovation. The companies reject those claims, saying their deal won't remove a competitor from the marketplace and will be good for consumers.

Mr. Delrahim has said he wasn't influenced by the White House and politics played no role in his decision.

--Drew FitzGerald contributed to this article.

Write to Brent Kendall at brent.kendall@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 20, 2018 15:09 ET (20:09 GMT)

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