*

Asistant AG Slater criticizes Big Law for obstructive

tactics in

antitrust cases

*

DOJ leadership allegedly influenced by politically

connected

lobbyists

*

Slater forms task force to address abusive practices in

antitrust cases

By Jody Godoy

Aug 29 (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Department of

Justice's antitrust division criticized what she said were

problematic tactics used by some Big Law firms in antitrust

cases on Friday, saying recent incidents where courts have

chastised Alphabet's Google and Apple ( AAPL ) for

hiding or destroying evidence are "just the tip of the iceberg."

Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater went on the offensive

against "tactics of obstruction and gamesmanship" in her first

public address since DOJ leadership fired two of her deputies

after Slater pushed back on orders to settle a case on the eve

of trial. One of the deputies has spoken out, alleging that DOJ

leadership allowed politically connected lobbyists to override

prosecutors.

"Unfortunately, we at the Antitrust Division have concluded

that a few actors - many of them at Big Law firms - can

undermine sound antitrust enforcement for everyone," Slater said

at a Federalist Society event in Columbus, Ohio, according to

her prepared remarks.

A longtime antitrust attorney and former economic adviser to

JD Vance, Slater was appointed in March to lead the DOJ's

antitrust division, which enforces laws blocking anticompetitive

business conduct.

She has spoken often about how antitrust enforcement can deliver

economic benefits for U.S. President Donald Trump's

working-class base, by going after practices that raise the cost

of food, housing and healthcare.

But that populist mission is running up against

"MAGA-In-Name-Only lobbyists" who seek to leverage influence to

settle cases, Roger Alford, Slater's former deputy, said in a

speech in Aspen, Colorado, on August 18.

After Slater pushed back on orders from DOJ leadership to

settle a case that sought to block Hewlett Packard Enterprise's ( HPE )

$14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks, Alford and

another deputy were fired by DOJ leadership in July. Democratic

lawmakers have called on the court overseeing the case to probe

how the settlement was reached.

Slater said on Friday that she is convening a task force within

the antitrust division to crack down on abusive practices. She

dubbed the effort "comply with care" - a riff on Google's

"communicate with care" policy, which prosecutors said allowed

Google to wrongly withhold tens of thousands of documents by

labeling them "attorney/client privileged."

"For parties that choose to push the boundaries of fair play

or even flout them outright, we will not shy away from pursuing

them, taking advantage of the full range of available penalties.

And we will not hesitate to bring issues to court," she said.