Trump ally and lawyer Mike Davis allegedly pushed antitrust officials at the Justice Department to approve his deals, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation.
He wields considerable influence in the antitrust division, as some mergers are based on political ties rather than public interest, dozens of unnamed sources told the outlet.
The most prominent example is Hewlett-Packard Enterprise’s $14 billion bid to acquire rival Juniper Networks, a deal completed last July. Gail Slater, then-head of the DOJ’s antitrust division, and her team had been resistant to Mr. Davis’ settlement terms, as he was serving as outside counsel.
She was reviewing the deal when she got a call from Mr. Davis.
“If you don’t approve this settlement, I will destroy you. I will destroy your job at the DOJ,” according to sworn testimony from her former deputy, the Journal reported.
Mr. Davis’ call reportedly left her shaken — they had been friends for years, and he had recommended her to President Trump for the job.
Within months, Ms. Slater and two of her deputies were pushed out of the department, and Mr. Davis allegedly played a role in her ouster.
He vehemently denied making the phone call to Ms. Slater, admitting that he pushed for the deputies’ firings only because they made “bogus” corruption allegations against him.
A Justice Department spokesperson told the Journal that all settlements “are based on the merits,” including the Hewlett-Packard Enterprise deal. There was nothing unusual about agency leadership providing guidance on cases or consulting with stakeholders, the spokesperson said.
“This DOJ — like every DOJ — decided these antitrust cases on the facts. WSJ is falsely basing its reporting on disgruntled, fired employees who failed and consistently leaked confidential information to the media to further their own agenda against the Administration,” including the Journal, the department said on social media.
The Journal did note that on at least one occasion, Mr. Davis discussed his representation of clients to Ms. Slater and other DOJ officials before any conflict arose surrounding her ouster.
Mr. Davis’ ties stretch beyond the president and the antitrust division. He clerked for Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and was chief counsel for nominations to Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles E. Grassley of Iowa.
Mr. Davis also leads the Article III Project.
• Mary McCue Bell can be reached at mbell@washingtontimes.com.
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