AT&T Met With Ajit Pai in Barcelona Shortly After Cohen Payment Last week, AT&T apologized for for its "serious misjudgment" in hiring US President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen to provide “insights” into how the new administration would handle issues like net neutrality and AT&T’s proposed merger with Time Warner Cable. Ultimately, the $600,000 AT&T paid Cohen for said insights became such a scandal, the company was forced to fire its top policy and lobbying man Bob Quinn, despite the fact that such behavior is arguably routine at the Dallas-based telecom giant.

While AT&T would obviously like to move on from the scandal, watchdogs and several lawmakers would like to see the issue explored in more detail. New scheduling documents obtained through FOIA by corruption watchdog American Oversight show the Chairman met with with top AT&T executives at a private dinner in Barcelona a month after the company began paying Cohen. One of the AT&T executives at that meeting was top AT&T policy and lobbying exec Bob Quinn, who orchestrated the payments to Cohen and was fired by AT&T for what the company now acknowledges was "a mistake." “A private dinner between Chairman Pai and an AT&T executive who hired Michael Cohen to influence the president doesn’t reflect well on the impartiality of the FCC," said American Oversight Director Austin Evers in a statement. "Pai should disclose exactly what was discussed at the dinner and who organized the meeting. Did Michael Cohen set up a dinner where AT&T executives tried to sway a member of the president’s administration on policy that affects the company?" "We can’t know for sure until Pai tells the whole story," the group proclaimed. "The FCC has some serious explaining to do." Given that Pai is arguably ultra-cozy with the industry he's supposed to be holding accountable, it's entirely possible that meeting would have happened anyway. But the group still believes that the company and Ajit Pai should be more transparent about the meeting, especially given the laundry list of favors (from gutting net neutrality to killing consumer privacy protections) that have rained down upon AT&T since Trump picked Pai to head the agency. Meanwhile, the scuttlebutt I'm hearing in telecom circles is that AT&T's donations came as AT&T was trying to secure the nomination of Pai's fellow FCC commissioner Brendan Carr, given the telco was eager to ensure the appointment of a Commissioner that would consistently vote in line with Pai's agenda. That agenda not only has included the assault on net neutrality, but protection of AT&T's Meanwhile, the scuttlebutt I'm hearing in telecom circles is that AT&T's donations came as AT&T was trying to secure the nomination of Pai's fellow FCC commissioner Brendan Carr, given the telco was eager to ensure the appointment of a Commissioner that would consistently vote in line with Pai's agenda. That agenda not only has included the assault on net neutrality, but protection of AT&T's business data services monopoly and the elimination of smaller competitors







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Most recommended from 30 comments

Skippy25

join:2000-09-13

Hazelwood, MO 29 recommendations Skippy25 Member Won't be the truth. Does it really matter what Pai is going to say? Whatever it is, it will be bleached and filter to appear as it was just standard business with no wrong doing.



To the rest of us, except you industry shills that I know will be here defending him, it is clear case of corruption. Shippy

join:2015-01-25 17 recommendations Shippy Member This administration can get away with anything When the people who make and enforce the rules are the ones breaking them, what can be done? b10010011

Whats a Posting tag?

join:2004-09-07

Bellingham, WA 17 recommendations b10010011 Member The swamp just gets deeper and deeper Eventually Trump and his cronies will drown in it, but I fear it will be too late for our country.

Anon69149

@104.129.196.x 15 recommendations Anon69149 Anon Break AT&T Up Too much power in one organization. Power corrupts and this is a prime example.



One solution might be to make events like this capital crimes.

Ut98Ex

join:2012-07-11

Georgetown, TX 12 recommendations Ut98Ex Member Lost in the news But of course all of these news will be lost in coverage because the annoying orange went on another racist rant or started another twitter meltdown to distract from all the news that are coming out about how utterly corrupt his whole administration is.

Anon06533

@comcast.net 6 recommendations Anon06533 Anon Corruption? What corruption? I am so sick of the blatantly corrupt machinations of Ajit Pai and his cohorts. They need to be held accountable for their scandalous and unethical schemes to screw the American public while operating under a thin red white and blue banner of legitimacy. Skippy25

join:2000-09-13

Hazelwood, MO 4 recommendations Skippy25 Member Won't be the truth. Does it really matter what Pai is going to say? Whatever it is, it will be bleached and filter to appear as it was just standard business with no wrong doing.



To the rest of us, except you industry shills that I know will be here defending him, it is clear case of corruption.

TIGERON

join:2008-03-11

Boston, MA 3 recommendations TIGERON Member Corruption 101 I would love to know what was discussed at that private meeting.

lagged9

join:2001-10-30

Narberth, PA 2 recommendations lagged9 Member Mobile World Congress This dinner happened during the Mobile World Congress. Isn't that more relevant than the unconnected Cohen payment?



I've been using this site forever, but if you are going the way of clickbait you will loose a lot of credibility.