A former senior antitrust official at the Department of Justice has accused Attorney General Pam Bondi‘s leadership of allowing MAGA-aligned corporate lobbyists to “rule” over antitrust enforcement.
Roger Alford, who was fired in July for alleged insubordination, claims that political appointees under Bondi’s direction overruled career staff and settled a major tech merger—Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks—in a manner that undermined the rule of law.
Alford, a professor of law at the University of Notre Dame, served as a deputy assistant attorney general with the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department during President Donald Trump‘s first and second terms.
Newsweek reached out to the DOJ and Hewlett Packard Enterprise for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The allegations raised by the former DOJ official spotlight the potential for political influence to override career staff and the rule of law in antitrust enforcement. Antitrust oversight exists to protect competition, prevent monopolies, and safeguard consumers from higher prices or reduced innovation.
The case also underscores the broader implications of partisanship in federal regulatory agencies, with ripple effects for markets, companies, and everyday consumers.
What To Know
In his first remarks since being ousted, Alford described a struggle inside the Justice Department’s antitrust division between “MAGA reformers and MAGA-in-name-only lobbyists.”
“The MAGA-in-name-only lobbyists and the DOJ officials enabling them are…determined to exert and expand their influence and enrich themselves as long as their friends are in power,” Alford said at the Tech Policy Institute Aspen Forum.
“Will America be governed by the rule of law or the rule of lobbyists?…The Department of Justice is today the central front in this battle. Their loyalty is not to the president’s antitrust agenda or to rebuild confidence and integrity in the DOJ,” he continued.
“Regardless of the outcome, their commitment is to exert and expand their influence and enrich themselves as long as their friends and supplicants are in power.”
Alford was dismissed amid a settlement involving the $14 billion merger between Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Juniper Networks. He objected to the role of lobbyists and politically connected lawyers in the talks, which he said “saw two tech giants achieve a sweetheart settlement, circumventing the Antitrust Division.”
The DOJ had initially sued to block the acquisition, citing competition concerns in the enterprise networking market. But the deal was finalized on July 2, 2025, after a settlement negotiated by Bondi’s team. According to CBS News, Bondi’s chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, stepped in and overruled Gail Slater, the head of the antitrust division.
Alford singled out Mizelle and Stanley Woodward, Bondi’s nominee for associate attorney general.
“The core problem is simple: AG Bondi has delegated authority to leaders like her chief of staff Chad Mizelle and Associate Attorney General nominee Stanley Woodward who do not share her commitment to the rule of law and to one tier of justice for all,” he said.
“Although I am limited in what I can say, it is my opinion that in the HPE-Juniper merger scandal, Chad Mizelle and Stanley Woodward perverted justice and acted inconsistent with the rule of law,” he added.
“Chad Mizelle accepts party meetings and makes key decisions depending on whether the request or information comes from a MAGA friend. Aware of this injustice, companies are hiring lawyers and influence peddlers to bolster their MAGA credentials and pervert traditional law enforcement.”
Alford urged a federal court in San Jose, which is reviewing the DOJ’s settlement, to “examine the surprising truth of what happened.” He added, “I hope the court blocks the HPE/Juniper merger. If you knew what I knew, you would hope so too.”
The company has argued its $14 billion acquisition of Juniper was “appropriately approved with certain remedies” and is “in the public interest and will promote further competition” in the market.
Alford also warned that the outcome of the HPE-Juniper deal has already encouraged other companies to seek political cover. The department, he said, is “now overwhelmed with lobbyists with little antitrust expertise going above the antitrust division leadership seeking special favors with warm hugs.”
Meanwhile, Alford cautioned that similar interference could affect enforcement of the president’s recent executive order on live entertainment. He accused Live Nation and Ticketmaster of using political influence to defend their market dominance.
“Will the same senior DOJ officials ignore the president’s executive order on live entertainment just because Live Nation and Ticketmaster have paid a bevy of cozy MAGA friends to roam the halls of the DOJ in defense of their monopoly abuses, making bogus arguments about mergers being necessitated by national security?” he asked.
Newsweek reached out to Live Nation and Ticketmaster for comment via email.
What People Are Saying
A DOJ spokesperson dismissed Alford’s comments Monday as the “delusional musings of a disgruntled ex,” telling The Hill that the HPE-Juniper merger’s resolution was based on the “merits of the transaction” and national security concerns raised by the intelligence community.
“Roger Alford is the James Comey of antitrust – pursuing blind self-promotion and ego, while ignoring reality,” the spokesperson said. “He was fired from the Department, and all should treat his comments for what they are – the delusional musings of a disgruntled ex.”
What Happens Next
The DOJ’s settlement of the HPE–Juniper merger still faces review by a federal court in San Jose, which has the authority to reject or modify the agreement if it finds signs of backroom dealings.
Several Senate Democrats have also called for the DOJ inspector general to conduct an investigation into the HPE-Juniper settlement, pointing to “possible politicization” in how the agency analyzes mergers and acquisitions.
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