Organized Money The Coup at the Antitrust Division
Aug 5, 2025
Sohrab Ahmari, a conservative journalist and editor at Unheard, delves into the controversial merger between Hewlett-Packard and Juniper Networks, shedding light on backdoor deals within the Justice Department. He discusses the implications for antitrust policy under a potential second Trump administration and the threats faced by populist reformers. The conversation also touches on the opaque nature of political and corporate relationships, raising concerns about the future of competition and the neglect of class analysis in political discourse.
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Martini-fueled Backdoor Deals
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise hired powerful lobbyists Mike Davis and Arthur Schwartz to broker a backdoor settlement on their merger with Juniper.
- They held literal boozy, martini-fueled meetings at DOJ over terms, bypassing top antitrust officials.
Code Against Corrupt Deal-Making
- DOJ antitrust officials publicly denounced these backroom settlements using coded language about "no martini deals."
- This was a subtle protest against corruption happening inside their own office.
Fake Settlement Hurt Competition
- The antitrust settlement did nothing to fix the core competition problems in the merger.
- DOJ staff called it a fake settlement benefiting Hewlett Packard while harming consumers and taxpayers.