AT&T is looking to bolster its presence in Washington, hiring Margaret Peterlin — who was an aide for former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson — as senior vice president, global external and public affairs.
Peterlin served as Tillerson’s chief of staff during his rocky tenure as President Trump’s Secretary of State. She will report to David McAtee, AT&T’s general counsel.
“This is a new position as McAtee organizes his team to match the needs of a modern media company, particularly with WarnerMedia’s global reach,” said an AT&T spokesperson. “Peterlin brings both private-sector and government leadership experience to AT&T and is a welcomed addition to the E&LA team.”
Peterlin’s hiring comes a few weeks after AT&T disclosed it paid Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, as a consultant last year, while the company was in the middle of battling with the Department of Justice over its acquisition of Time Warner. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said the telecom giant paid Cohen $600,000 to better understand President Trump’s thought process, but admitted it was a “big mistake.”
AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner — now called WarnerMedia — closed last month.