President Donald Trump once again blew kisses at Fox News and took a swing at CNN, tweeting Saturday that Fox was “MUCH more important in the United States than CNN,” adding “they represent our Nation to the WORLD very poorly.”
CNN took no time to fire back: “It’s not CNN’s job to represent the U.S to the world. That’s yours. Our job is to report the news. #FactsFirst.”
It’s not CNN’s job to represent the U.S to the world. That’s yours. Our job is to report the news. #FactsFirst ????
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) November 25, 2017
But what the POTUS may not be aware of, according to Norm Eisen, the chief White House ethics lawyer under former President Barack Obama, is that his latest jab at CNN could be used against his Justice Department in its fight to block AT&T’s merger with Time Warner.
Eisen said that the tweet also hints at “collusion” between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who put into law Saturday that foreign media outlets working in Russia must be listed as foreign agents.
“Dear Dodo-in-Chief: u realize that this tweet is going 2be an exhibit against u in the DOJ -TimeWarner antitrust case right? It also smacks of collusion since u did it on day when Vlad cracked down on US networks,” Eisen tweeted. “For that reason, it may open u to other civil liability.”
Dear Dodo-in-Chief: u realize that this tweet is going 2be an exhibit against u in the DOJ -TimeWarner antitrust case right? It also smacks of collusion since u did it on day when Vlad cracked down on US networks. For that reason, it may open u to other civil liability. G’night! https://t.co/acyCYYSYeK
— Norm Eisen (#TryingTrump out now!) (@NormEisen) November 26, 2017
Bloomberg reported on Nov. 20 that the Justice Department will file a lawsuit seeking to block the $85 billion merger. The deal, announced last October, would create a media behemoth with assets including the Warner Bros. studio, CNN, HBO, the Turner networks, AT&T’s wireless business and DirecTV. The Financial Times reported earlier this month that AT&T would have to sacrifice CNN to gain antitrust approval for the deal.
Trump has repeatedly railed against CNN as “fake news” both as a presidential candidate and since taking office and opposed the AT&T/Time Warner merger at campaign rallies, though similar mergers have gained regulatory approval in recent years.
Eisen suggests that Trump’s tweet could be used to imply that the Justice Department’s lawsuit is based purely on his personal dislike of CNN and has nothing to do with antitrust laws.