U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REVIEWS ICAHN USAIR FILING The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is reviewing whether Trans World Airlines Inc <TWA> and Chairman Carl Icahn violated federal antitrust law by failing to seek advance clearance from the DOJ or the Federal Trade Commission for his extensive open-market purchases of USAir Group Inc <U> stock, a DOJ official told a Senate panel. "This is a matter that is being looked into," Charles Rule, acting assistant attorney general-antitrust, told the Senate Judiciary Committee's Antitrust Subcommittee. Rule declined further comment while the review was continuing. Rule was responding to panel Chairman Howard Metzenbaum (D-Ohio), who had asked why the department was not acting against "what appears to be a clear violation of the law." Metzenbaum said Icahn had failed to file a pre-merger notification form with the FTC prior to purchasing more than 15 mln dlrs' worth of USAir stock. But Rule said that, for airline companies, a purchaser would be exempt from the requirement if it instead had filed a merger application with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Icahn filed such an application with the DOT, but the filing was thrown out by the DOT on Friday. The DOT threw out the application late Friday on grounds it lacked the necessary data for the government to review the proposed USAir takeover bid. Icahn refiled a more complete application form Monday. Rule pledged to act against Icahn and TWA if a violation were found.