Top DOJ Antitrust Official Recused from Comcast-Time Warner Review

The U.S. Justice Department's top antitrust official will be recused from reviewing Comcast's $45 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable.

The Justice Department confirmed on Thursday that Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer won't take part in reviewing the deal. Mr. Baer represented General Electric and NBCUniversal as a lawyer at Arnold & Porter LLP in 2011 when Comcast acquired a majority stake in NBCUniversal.

"I just wanted to confirm that the antitrust division is looking at the proposed acquisition involving Comcast and Time Warner. Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer will be recused on the matter," Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona said via email.

Ms. Talamona said the review will be overseen by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Renata B. Hesse, who will be the Acting Assistant Attorney General on the matter, and Deputy Assistant Attorney General David Gelfand.

Ms. Hesse previously served as special counsel to former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski in 2010-2011, where she oversaw the FCC's review of AT&T's failed $39 billion bid for T-Mobile. Regulators ultimately blocked that deal over concerns about competition in the wireless market.

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