An unignorable warning from a whistleblower in the know, or the sour grapes of a disgruntled former staffer? That's the question after Roger Alford, the recently dismissed principal deputy assistant attorney general of the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), blasted his former employer for giving preference to "Make America Great Again (MAGA)-in-name-only lobbyists" over President Donald Trump's antitrust policies.
Alford and a coworker were reportedly fired after disagreements involving the proposed merger of Hewlett-Packard Enterprises (HPE) and Juniper Networks, two of the largest players in the wireless network provider industry. At the beginning of President Trump's second term, the DOJ had announced its intention to block the merger. Now the merger is slated to proceed.
With an increasing number of attorneys resigning and growing concerns of extreme partisanship in an agency traditionally known for being staffed by career employees who put the pursuit of justice above personal politics, it's been a tumultuous few months for the DOJ. And smoother sailing might not be in the forecast for the Justice Department.
MAGA vs MAGA?
According to the DOJ, its mission is to keep the country safe, protect civil rights, and uphold the rule of law. It attempts to accomplish this through the offices of U.S. Attorneys, its law enforcement agencies, and its litigators. While U.S. Attorneys and those in other positions of power are usually replaced when a new administration takes over, the rank-and-file members often have much longer tenures.
As seen in the staffing upheavals in numerous government agencies, the second Trump administration seems disinclined to keep employees who do not align with its way of thinking. This is perhaps nowhere more evident than at the DOJ, where the deep purging of staff included a targeting of those who investigated the January 6th rioters or worked on President Trump's mishandling of classified documents after he lost the 2020 presidential election. The firing of the agency's top ethics advisor by Attorney General Pam Bondi also raised more than a few eyebrows.
Despite the ongoing culling and grooming in the DOJ, Alford's accusations hint at a possible rift between those he characterizes as loyal to President Trump and those merely pretending while advancing their own goals. The building tension culminated in the July 29, 2025, firings of Alford and Bill Rinner, who was the head of merger enforcement.
Can You Hear Me Now? Good.
According to Alford, the battle lines within the DOJ were drawn over Hewlett-Packard's proposed merger with Juniper Networks. Claiming the deal between the #2 and #3 companies in the wireless market would stifle competition, the DOJ sued to block the merger on January 30, 2025. As this had been the intent of the previous Biden administration as well, it signaled a rare agreement between the two.
In late June, however, the DOJ abruptly announced a new proposed settlement that allowed the merger to proceed with some concessions from both sides. This was accomplished by having Chad Mizell, Bondi's chief of staff, overrule Gail Slater, the head of the antitrust decision. Slater, who was appointed in March, had engendered criticism from the administration for telling companies not to use Trump-affiliated lobbyists or consultants to interact with the DOJ.
Alford and Rinner were fired for insubordination, which Alford claims was driven by those using the administration for personal gain. The merger has also caught the eye of several Democratic senators, who have requested that the DOJ Office of the Inspector General look into both the proposed merger and Alford's claims of excessive politicization within the antitrust division.
Related Resources
- The Battle for the New Jersey U.S. Attorney Position (FindLaw's Practice of Law)
- Justice Department Promises Increased Enforcement of Tariff Collections (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)
- The Appointments Clause (FindLaw's Article II)
