AT&T Paid Trump's Lawyer to Consult on Time Warner Merger
May 11, 2018, 7:50 AM by Eric M. Zeman
AT&T has admitted to making payments to Michael Cohen, the personal lawyer of President Donald Trump, for what it calls consulting purposes. The company says it hoped Cohen would provide it with information regarding "regulatory reform at the FCC, corporate tax reform, and antitrust enforcement." AT&T hasn't detailed how much it paid to Cohen's Essential Consultants, but the estimates range between $200,000 and $600,000. Despite making the payments, the Federal Trade Commission sued to block AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner. The trial concluded only recently and the judge is expected to announced his decision on June 12. At the same time, the FCC has moved to kill net neutrality regulations, a win for AT&T and its competitors. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai says Cohen's company never contacted the FCC regarding net neutrality issues. AT&T insists the contract with Cohen specified that no lobbying work was to be undertaken by the lawyer. Democratic Senators have called for an investigation into the matter. Drugmaker Novartis also made payments to Cohen in what it later called "a mistake."
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