LONDON (ShareCast) - (ShareCast News) - US Department of Justice officials are considering bringing an antitrust lawsuit over AT&T's proposed deal to acquire Time Warner, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
The telecommunications giant had said it expected the deal to acquire Time Warner would go through before the end of the year.

According to the report, the Justice Department was in contact with AT&T in order to discuss "possible settlement terms that would lead to the deal winning government approval with conditions attached."

In a statement released by AT&T, the firm said it was standard practice for all sides to consider such a scenario.

"When the DOJ reviews any transaction, it is common and expected for both sides to prepare for all possible scenarios," an AT&T spokesperson said in a statement. "For over 40 years, vertical mergers like this one have always been approved because they benefit consumers without removing any competitors from the market.

Time Warner shares were down almost 6% in response to the report, while AT&T's share price had fallen 1.34% as of 16:05 BST.

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