The sudden firing of two high-ranking antitrust officials, Roger Alford and Bill Rinner, is sparking concerns about the Justice Department’s ability to enforce antitrust laws. The move has raised alarms about the administration’s approach to regulating Big Tech companies like Apple and Google.
Antitrust experts are worried that the firing may be a sign of President Trump’s willingness to override the advice of his own antitrust division, led by Gail Slater. Slater has been critical of Big Tech and has pushed for aggressive antitrust enforcement, but her colleagues have opposed some of her plans.
The most recent example is the settlement in the merger case involving Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Juniper Networks. The DOJ had filed a lawsuit to block the deal, alleging it would reduce competition in the market for enterprise-grade wireless networking equipment. However, the parties reached a settlement that resolved the government’s competitive concerns without addressing some of Slater’s concerns.
Critics argue that the settlement may not have adequately addressed antitrust concerns and raises questions about whether the administration is more concerned with pleasing politically connected interests than pursuing fair competition. Senate Democrats have also expressed concerns about the deal, saying it doesn’t address the Justice Department’s original antitrust concerns.
“This episode shows that political intervention works,” says Bill Kovacic, a former chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). “If you can hire the right people to get to the White House or to the DOJ front office with the right arguments, you can override the preferences of the Antitrust Division.”
The loss of Alford and Rinner is a blow to the agency’s tech expertise and external credibility. Experts say that if the court starts to question the agency’s decisions, it loses respect. The case highlights concerns about the influence of politics on antitrust enforcement and the need for an independent and impartial approach.
The Antitrust Division still has many major tech cases pending, including appeals in the Google search monopolization case and a trial over Apple’s monopolization of the app store. It remains to be seen whether these cases will receive fair treatment under the current administration.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/policy/717303/justice-department-antitrust-division-slater-alford-rinner-firing