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Why Is Barr Going After Google? (Bloomberg Editorial Board)
Bloomberg Opinion
Editorial Board
July 7, 2020, 5:00 AM MST
An antitrust case wouldn’t make sense even under normal circumstances. With this president, it’s an ominous sign.
For months, President Donald Trump’s Justice Department has hinted that it intends to crack down on Silicon Valley. It recently took a big step closer as senior antitrust officials met with their state counterparts to plot out a case against Alphabet Inc.’s Google. Quite what they plan to argue isn’t yet clear. But as the final months of Trump’s first term wind down, and an election draws near, some exceptional skepticism is in order.
One reason for caution is that Attorney General William Barr has not exactly been a disinterested enforcer of competition law. Quite the opposite: In recent testimony, a senior Justice Department whistle-blower described how Barr pressured antitrust prosecutors to harass automakers (and others) for transparently political reasons.
Now, according to news reports, Barr has taken an unusual interest in the Google case. Why? In a recent interview with Fox News, he intimated that he hopes to use antitrust law to punish tech companies for censoring conservative viewpoints, a frequent preoccupation of Trump’s. Never mind that this accusation is false, and that tech companies would be entirely within their rights to so discriminate if they chose. The whole thing has nothing to do with antitrust.
<snip>
Yet the Trump administration has suggested nothing of the sort publicly. If its track record is any guide, this case is more likely to amount to a political attack with a belabored legal rationale attached. Even if its motives are pure, the administration should be wary: Government intervention in a market where no obvious harm has been caused to consumers — and in pursuit of vague or unrelated objectives — is a recipe for disaster.
One reason for caution is that Attorney General William Barr has not exactly been a disinterested enforcer of competition law. Quite the opposite: In recent testimony, a senior Justice Department whistle-blower described how Barr pressured antitrust prosecutors to harass automakers (and others) for transparently political reasons.
Now, according to news reports, Barr has taken an unusual interest in the Google case. Why? In a recent interview with Fox News, he intimated that he hopes to use antitrust law to punish tech companies for censoring conservative viewpoints, a frequent preoccupation of Trump’s. Never mind that this accusation is false, and that tech companies would be entirely within their rights to so discriminate if they chose. The whole thing has nothing to do with antitrust.
<snip>
Yet the Trump administration has suggested nothing of the sort publicly. If its track record is any guide, this case is more likely to amount to a political attack with a belabored legal rationale attached. Even if its motives are pure, the administration should be wary: Government intervention in a market where no obvious harm has been caused to consumers — and in pursuit of vague or unrelated objectives — is a recipe for disaster.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-07-07/google-antitrust-case-would-be-questionable-move-from-barr-doj
