Overview

• Roger Alford, ousted last month as a senior antitrust official, accused Chad Mizelle and associate attorney general nominee Stan Woodward of perverting justice in the HPE–Juniper case.
• The Justice Department rejected Alford’s claims, with a spokesperson labeling him “the James Comey of antitrust” and dismissing his remarks as self-promotion.
• DOJ sued in January to block HPE’s $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks before announcing a June settlement that would permit the deal with divestiture and licensing conditions.
• Reports say Mizelle overruled antitrust chief Gail Slater to advance the settlement, while disclosures show HPE hired Trump-aligned advocates Mike Davis and Arthur Schwartz to push for approval.
• Senate Democrats have requested a DOJ inspector general investigation, and Alford urged the federal court conducting the Tunney Act review to scrutinize or block the consent decree.