Bloomberg reports that the DOJ is going to sue AT&T in order to prevent the deal through antitrust law, which means that Jeff Sessions is ready to argue that such a massive empire would discourage or altogether prevent other competition within the industry. And this news arrives via sources that claim knowledge of a week of discussions and an imminent announcement of some sort from the DOJ. In other words, the DOJ might be pulling a shady move in order to discourage critical reporting about the president.

“Today’s DOJ lawsuit is a radical and inexplicable departure from decades of antitrust precedent. Vertical mergers like this one are routinely approved because they benefit consumers without removing any competitor from the market. We see no legitimate reason for our merger to be treated differently … Fortunately, the Department of Justice doesn’t have the final say in this matter. Rather, it bears the burden of proving to the U.S. District Court that the transaction violates the law. We are confident that the Court will reject the Government’s claims and permit this merger under longstanding legal precedent.”

Indeed, the Justice Department’s recent maneuverings in this matter lead one to believe that the president may be pushing for results, which in this case would be Time Warner hanging CNN out to dry. Yet it looks as if AT&T’s legal department is ready to fight this tactic with all available resources. Of course, the mere subject of antitrust law causes most people’s eyes to glaze over, but this fight is about to become a spectator sport. Stay … tuned.

(Via Bloomberg & CNN Money)