In a statement to the Huffington Post, Schumer's office said that the senator was not aware of his brother's involvement in the merger.

"As Senator Schumer and his brother had never discussed the matter before, the piece in American Lawyer was the first Senator Schumer learned that his brother had worked on the deal," Schumer's communications director Matt House said in the statement. "Now that he’s aware of his brother’s involvement, Senator Schumer will recuse himself from Congressional consideration of the matter to avoid any appearance of bias."

Time Warner donated more to Schumer than to any other member of Congress when the senator last ran for re-election in 2010, according to Open Secrets.