Trump’s Talks With Dealmaking CEOs Rattle Antitrust Lawyers
- Bayer, AT&T CEOs met president-elect as mergers await review
- Meetings may raise appearance of conflicts, lawyers say
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson arrives in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York, on Jan. 12, for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump.
Photographer: Evan Vucci/APIt wasn’t a surprise when Donald Trump took the opportunity during his Jan. 11 press conference to angrily accuse CNN of spreading fake news. Throughout the campaign Trump had complained the cable network was being unfair to him -- and at one point vowed that as president, he would block AT&T Inc.’s proposed $85.4 billion merger with CNN’s parent, Time Warner Inc.
It was surprising, though, when AT&T Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson turned up at Trump Tower the next day. People familiar with the meeting said beforehand that the CEO and president-elect would discuss the Time Warner deal. Afterward, both AT&T and Trump aides said the topic didn’t come up and the two just talked about job creation.