Sept 5 (Reuters) - Attorneys general from Colorado and

19 other states on Friday called for a court to consider

rejecting a U.S. Department of Justice's settlement allowing

Hewlett-Packard Enterprise ( HPE ) to acquire Juniper Networks

for $14 billion.

The letter from the Democratic attorneys general is the

latest development over the DOJ's decision to drop its attempt

to block the merger, which a former DOJ official has said was

influenced by politically connected lobbyists.

"If, upon exposing the settlement to sunlight, the evidence

establishes that it was the product of undue influence, then the

court should reject it as against the public interest," Colorado

Attorney General Phil Weiser wrote.

Shortly after Trump took office in January, the Justice

Department sued to block the deal, alleging it would stifle

competition and lead to only two companies - Cisco Systems ( CSCO )

and HP Enterprise - controlling more than 70% of the

U.S. market for networking equipment.

Ahead of a scheduled trial in San Jose, California, the DOJ

agreed to drop its claims in June, in exchange for HP Enterprise

agreeing to license some of Juniper's AI technology to

competitors and sell off a unit that caters to small and

mid-sized businesses.

A month later, two of the DOJ antitrust division officials who

signed off on the deal were fired. Sources described the move as

retaliation against Gail Slater, head of the antitrust division,

for pushing back on orders from DOJ leadership to settle the

case.

Roger Alford, one of the fired officials, said afterwards in

a speech that two of Attorney General Pam Bondi's deputies

perverted justice and acted inconsistently with the rule of law

in connection with the settlement.

The court should hear testimony from Alford along with DOJ

officials and consultants who represented HP Enterprise, the

states said.

(Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama

)