Update, November 20: The Justice Department has officially filed a lawsuit against AT&T in an effort to stop the company's merger with Time Warner.

According to Brian Stelter at CNN — a brand owned by Time Warner — "the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Monday, is an unusual challenge to the $85 billion deal, which was announced by the two companies more than a year ago. AT&T says it will fight the case in court."

Previously, On Wednesday afternoon, The Financial Times reported that President Trump's Justice Department told communications giant AT&T and media company Time Warner that to go ahead with their proposed merger, Time Warner must sell Turner Broadcasting, which includes CNN.

The proposal immediately set off alarm bells for critics of President Trump, since he has repeatedly targeted the network for its coverage. So, is Trump using his Justice Department to send a warning, or is this a legitimate antitrust dispute? Here's what you need to know.

The DOJ Reportedly Gave The Companies Two Options

While initial reports only included news of the CNN stipulation, The New York Times reports that AT&T and Time Warner were given the option to sell CNN or DirecTV — both large entities owned by the companies.

According to CNN's Brian Stelter, however, the Justice Department alleges that AT&T "privately offered to sell CNN."

AT&T's CFO Says The Stipulations Have Put The Deal On Ice

In a statement, AT&T's CFO John Stephens said "I have never offered to sell CNN and have no intention of doing so."

Earlier Wednesday, at the Wells Fargo Media and Telecom Conference in New York, he told participants that "the timing of the closing of the deal is now uncertain."

Politico reports that both companies and the DOJ are preparing for a lawsuit.

Trump Has Been A Longtime Critic Of CNN

The news of the DOJ's terms brought quick speculation that the request to sell CNN was politically motivated since President Trump has been a vocal critic of CNN since his campaign.

"The only reason you would divest CNN would be to kowtow to the president because he doesn't like the coverage," one source said. "It would send a chilling message to every news organization in the country." https://t.co/0opq7OiEqu — Steven Shepard (@POLITICO_Steve) November 8, 2017

Trump Has Also Consistently Criticized The Merger Between The Companies

In October 2016, Trump said in a speech that his administration "would not approve" the merger because "it's too much concentration of power in the hands of too few."

Trump went on to criticize Comcast's acquisition of NBC, saying "Comcast's purchase of NBC concentrated far too much power in one massive entity that is trying to tell the voters what to think and what to do."

Trump has also repeatedly criticized Amazon, who's CEO owns The Washington Post, and its acquisitions. In July, Trump said Amazon has a "no-tax monopoly," later telling Sean Hannity that the company has a "huge antitrust problem."

Given Trump's targets, which also all happen to own media companies he dislikes, it's hard to tell if his attacks are coming from the perspective of business or politics.

The Leader Of Trump's Antitrust Unit Appears To Have Changed His View On The Merger Since Being Hired

The head of the Justice Department's antitrust unit, Makan Delrahim, went on record in 2016 saying the merger between AT&T and Time Warner didn't post "a major antitrust problem."

Since his confirmation, however, he has been leading the unit that is posing problems for the merger.

The Merger Has Had Consistent Critics From Both Sides Of The Aisle

The $85.4 billion deal has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle. The vertical merger would combine a distributor (AT&T) with a content producer (Time Warner) that would seemingly create a cross-industry behemoth. Critics, such as Democratic Senator Al Franken, argue that the scale and style of integration opens the door for consumer abuses, such as raising licensing prices for its competitors or boxing out its competitor's media offerings through the exclusive promotion of its own content.

Long-term, critics fear that such mergers will further segregate the media landscape and shut out smaller content producers.

Proponents of the merger argue that there is little legal precedence to challenge it, especially given the recent wave of similar vertical mergers. As online outlets continue to attract young customers, traditional media companies have begun to seek distribution partners to buoy profits and viewership.