AT&T Says Cohen Deal Was Mistake; VP Who Hired Him to Retire

AT&T Inc. said hiring President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, as a consultant was a “big mistake” and that senior executive who hired him is retiring, according to a memo from CEO Randall Stephenson.

Cohen was paid $50,000 a month under a one-year contract after he approached AT&T following the 2016 election, according to the memo sent to the company’s employees. Cohen said he was going to do consulting for a “select few companies” that wanted his opinion on Trump and his administration, Stephenson said.

“The fact is, our past association with Cohen was a serious misjudgment. In this ...