Former DOJ Official Alleges Lobbyist Capture of Antitrust Division

In a speech at the Technology Policy Institute in Aspen, Alford detailed how the $14 billion merger—initially challenged by the DOJ for threatening to control 70% of vital enterprise wi-fi—was settled under suspicious circumstances. He alleges that Attorney General Pam Bondi’s chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, overruled the division’s antitrust chief to push the deal through. According to Alford, this process was facilitated by "boozy backroom meetings" between company lawyers and DOJ officials.

Disclosures reveal that Hewlett-Packard Enterprise hired prominent Trump allies to lobby for the merger, including Mike Davis and Arthur Schwartz. Alford contends that these influence-peddlers leverage their proximity to the administration to secure favorable outcomes, effectively creating a two-tier justice system. While identifying himself as a supporter of the president’s populist agenda, he argues that the current DOJ leadership has betrayed that mission by selling out to corporate interests. The merger’s fate now hinges on a potential judicial review under the Tunney Act, a process Alford hopes will be used to block the deal entirely.