Barr recuses himself from T-Mobile-Sprint merger decision

US Attorney General William Barr has recused himself from weighing in on a planned $26 billion merger of T-Mobile and Sprint due to potential conflicts of interest, a source with direct knowledge of the situation said.

That gives Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim, head of the Department of Justice’s antitrust division, final word on the controversial proposed merger between the nation’s third- and fourth-largest wireless providers.

Barr was on Time Warner’s board until it was acquired last year by AT&T and still owns stock in the new company.

In his financial disclosure form signed Dec. 24, Barr disclosed that he had AT&T vested stock options valued at between $250,000 and $500,000 and AT&T dividends valued at between $500,000 and $1 million.

T-Mobile buying Sprint would have an impact on AT&T, which vies with Verizon for the title of nation’s largest carrier.

It is good news for John Legere’s T-Mobile. AT&T has been rumored to be against the merger and has no love for Legere, whose company has attracted customers by slashing prices and bashing the competition.

In March, The Post reported exclusively on Barr’s conflict.

“I think he ought to sell his stock in AT&T if he is going to have a role in this review,” Richard Painter, who served as chief ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, told The Post.

“The whole point of an antitrust review is to understand what will be the impact on competitors,” like AT&T, Painter said.

Some in Washington, DC, had expected Delrahim to have resigned by now, but instead it appears he will play a major role in shaping the future of the telecom industry.

T-Mobile and Sprint have extended the deadline of their merger agreement until July 29. Regulators are expected to decide on the merger within two months.

The DOJ did not return calls for comment.