The department announced the probe Saturday. Spokesperson Emily Covington said group boycotts among business competitors might violate US law. "The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws," she said.
The pool stopped covering the president on September 21, after the Trump administration barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House and called covering the president a "privilege, not a right." In protest, the five networks also refused to provide replacement programming.
The outlets sued, accusing the administration of violating First Amendment free speech and free press rights and of retaliating over their coverage. On September 24, the White House reinstated the credentials after a US district judge ordered the administration to "immediately return, reinstate and restore" access.
Jose Zamora, the Committee to Protect Journalists' regional director of the Americas, criticized the investigation. "The government should not use antitrust investigations to intimidate news outlets defending press access," he said on X. "The public's right to know depends on that access."
The pool is a rotating group of outlets that cover the president and accompany him on official duties.