A DELAY OF GAME

DC politics holding up AT&T-Time Warner deal

AT&T brass grew frustrated on Monday after Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) delayed the confirmation of a key antitrust cop — pushing back by perhaps a month a vote on the company’s proposed deal to buy Time Warner, a source close to the merger told The Post.

Warren, who has voiced opposition to the $85.4 billion merger between the telecom giant and the parent company of HBO, CNN and Warner Bros. studio, put a hold last week on Justice Department antitrust cop nominee Makan Delrahim, meaning his name was not included in a group of nominees who were voted on by the full Senate.

Delrahim will now have to wait until the August recess is over.

The Senate Judiciary Committee in June recommended Delrahim by a 19to-1 margin.

“Makan was caught off guard,” a source close to Delrahim said. “This is just politics at its worst when you hold up one of the most qualified individu- als in the Trump administration.”

AT&T would like Delrahim to weigh in on the merger — even though Justice could approve the deal without him, the source close to the merger said.

The staff at Justice has made its recommendation to acting Assistant Attorney General Andrew Finch, the source said, declining to give details.

AT&T’s insistence that Delrahim review the deal could mean it is not happy with the staff recommendation and is hoping for a better shake with the boss in the seat, sources said.

Delrahim is expected to be confirmed in September, and could rule on the mega-merger within a week of his appointment, sources said.

Rumors in media circles are that AT&T could sell CNN — but John Stankey, CEO of AT&T’s entertainment group, said on Monday that the all-news network was not for sale.

Of course, a sale or spin-off of certain Time Warner properties could come after a year or so, sources added.

AT&T declined to comment. Warren did not return calls.