The Department of Justice will slam Google with an antitrust case over the next several weeks, according to the New York Times.
The NYT sometimes reports accurately, and insists it’s true based on five sources who say Barr “overruled career lawyers who said they needed more time to build a strong case against one of the world’s wealthiest, most formidable technology companies.”
The Times wants you to believe Barr is rushing the case. They like to manipulate opinion surreptitiously.
Barr needs to move now. If Trump loses in November, all is lost.
However, Democrats and Republicans see as a major problem: the influence of the biggest tech companies over consumers and the possibility that their business practices have stifled new competitors and hobbled legacy industries like telecom and media, says the NYT.
About 40 lawyers working on the anti-trust case who will wind up the case by the end of this month, said three of the five leakers.
Some career lawyers [deep staters] allegedly expressed concerns that Mr. Barr wanted to announce the case in September to take credit for action against a powerful tech company under the Trump administration.
“But Mr. Barr felt that the department had moved too slowly and that the deadline was not unreasonable, according to a senior Justice Department official,” says the Times.
Barr is deeply interested in the case and is “taking thick binders of information about it on trips and vacations and returning with ideas and notes.”
The Times notes that antitrust action against Google has bipartisan support from a coalition of 50 states and territories, though Democrats and Republican state attorneys general conducting their own investigations are split on how to move forward.
Republicans have accused Democrats of slow-walking the work in order to bring charges under a potential Biden administration, while Democrats have accused Republicans of wanting Trump to receive credit. Partisan bull.
“Alphabet was an obvious antitrust target,” the NYT reports. “Through YouTube, Google search, Google Maps and a suite of online advertising products, consumers interact with the company nearly every time they search for information, watch a video, hail a ride, order delivery in an app or see an ad online. Alphabet then improves its products based on the information it gleans from every user interaction, making its technology even more dominant.”
According to the report, Google controls roughly 90% of web searches worldwide, and has been accused of unfair practices because its search and browsing tools are standard on phones with its Android operating system. They also dominate online advertising – capturing about 1/3 of every dollar spent.
Three people familiar with the case say the DOJ has compiled “powerful evidence of anticompetitive practices.”
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