Justice Department Probes Networks Over White House Pool Coverage

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether five major television networks violated federal antitrust law by briefly suspending pooled coverage of President Donald Trump, the department said. The inquiry is being conducted by its Antitrust Division and is not a finding that the networks broke the law. A Justice Department spokesperson said group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act. The division is investigating to determine whether the networks violated antitrust laws, the spokesperson said. The department’s statement did not announce conclusions about the networks’ conduct. People familiar with the department’s action told The New York Times that officials contacted the networks on Friday and requested communications and other materials related to the White House television pool. ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News were identified as the networks under scrutiny. The networks declined to comment or had not responded to inquiries in the reports. The pool is a longstanding arrangement in which participating networks share responsibility for recording the president and distributing footage to other news organizations.