• Reuters, Tuesday, November 23, 2010 12:35 AM

Senator Al Franken, a critic of Comcast Corp's proposed deal for control of NBC Universal, asked the Justice Department on Monday to investigate whether the giant cable company had engaged in "illegal collaboration" concerning its intended target.

Franken said that on Sept. 26 Comcast had named its chief operating officer, Steve Burke, as the prospective chief executive of NBC Universal. Last week, Comcast named several executives who would hold top jobs at NBC Universal."As a result, Comcast's actions may constitute 'gun-jumping' in violation of the letter and spirit of federal antitrust law," Franken wrote in the letter to Christine Varney, head of the Justice Department's antitrust division.

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