President Trump's chilling campaign to politicize the Justice Department ran into a stinging rebuke on Tuesday as a federal judge broadly rejected the government's attempt to block AT&T's $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner. Appearing to pander to the president's hostility to much of the news media, the department's antitrust division embraced a radical legal strategy that backfired, depriving every American of the responsible oversight that such a far-reaching merger required.
Tuesday's ruling will probably unleash a new wave of deal making on Wall Street, in Hollywood and in Silicon Valley. As the media, telecommunications and technology industries continue to reshape both themselves and the lives of billions of people around the world, the consistent and fair application of American competition policy remains essential to foster innovation and the interests of everyday consumers. One can only hope that in the wake of Tuesday's defeat, federal authorities return to the principles that helped the United States become the world's engine of creative invention.
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