WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday said it had filed a civil lawsuit against KKR & Co Inc "for repeatedly flouting the premerger antitrust review process," alleging that the company had "evaded antitrust scrutiny for at least 16 separate transactions" from 2021 to 2022.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Doina Chiacu)