Justice leaders are blocking the enforcement of laws meant to protect consumers from price gouging, sources say.
MS NOW: Trump's Justice Department is moving to scuttle lawsuits and investigations for a string of proposed corporate mergers.
Trump appointees have overruled several moves by career attorneys.
Experts fear this interference could raise prices for consumers for years to come.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1.bsky.social) 2026-07-10T15:35:29.521Z
https://www.ms.now/news/trump-appointees-are-overruling-doj-lawyers-scrutinizing-corporate-mergers
President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is moving to scuttle lawsuits and investigations for a string of proposed corporate mergers, which experts fear could raise prices for consumers for years to come, according to three people briefed on the plans.
Trump administration appointees have overruled moves by career attorneys who had proposed suits or launched reviews to assess how the company mergers and acquisitions might lead to unfair price gouging for both consumers and taxpayers, according to the three people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal DOJ processes.
The veteran DOJ staff attorneys in the antitrust division were considering suing one aerospace parts company and requiring other firms proposing mergers to make standard moves to protect consumers — including selling parts of their businesses, the people said.
The division’s goal, part of its mission since it was formed in the Great Depression, has been to reduce companies’ monopoly hold on their industry sectors before allowing them to finalize their deals.,,,,
Charlie Beller, who works as the deputy assistant attorney general for civil mergers, told line prosecutors last month that the “fifth floor” — the floor of the DOJ where acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and top political leaders are based — does not want any civil antitrust enforcement at all, according to one person with knowledge of Beller’s warning.
According to the source, Beller added that the antitrust lawyers will no longer be allowed to formally demand that corporations turn over in-depth internal records when they are reviewing a merger or acquisition. That step, known as a “second request,” legally blocks companies from combining until they have substantially complied with DOJ requests and the agency has completed its competitive harm analysis.
Criminal prosecutors were left shocked and confused last year when Woodward said he had doubts about the government’s ability to investigate and prosecute corporate crime in several areas beyond antitrust — and remarked that there was no prison large enough to imprison a corporation, according to two other people with knowledge of his comments.
I am mergers and acquisitions attorney. Blanche on trump's behalf has gutted the antitrust section of the DOJ. That is how some of the media mergers are getting through. I was encouraged to see some state attorney generals may challenge the Paramount merger.
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