Washington, D.C. — Following news that Chad Mizelle has resigned from his position as Chief of Staff at the Department of Justice, following myriad controversies including his central role in the eleventh-hour pre-trial settlement of the $14 billion Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE)-Juniper Networks merger challenge earlier this summer, the American Economic Liberties Project released the following statement.

“Chad Mizelle’s resignation may be a sign that Pam Bondi’s house of corruption is showing cracks in the foundation,” said Nidhi Hegde, Executive Director of the American Economic Liberties Project. “Mizelle personally orchestrated the HPE-Juniper pay-to-play merger settlement, undermined the DOJ’s own Antitrust Division, and sided with lobbyists over the public in what has become a boondoggle of public outrage that the DOJ hoped would stay buried. While his exit is welcome, significant questions remain over how this settlement was crafted and the corporate lobbyists he coordinated with to undermine the rule of law. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. Congress and the courts must call on Mizelle to testify and the court should the block the HPE-Juniper merger.”

Earlier this month, Economic Liberties submitted a detailed Tunney Act comment letter to the Northern District of California, arguing that the HPE–Juniper settlement was grossly inadequate and riddled with irregularities. The letter urges the court to use its full authority to block the merger outright or — at a minimum — investigate the DOJ leadership, lobbyists, and corporate lawyers involved in pushing through the deal. It also lays out specific questions for the court to ask to uncover whether improper political influence, insider trading, or undisclosed side deals shaped the settlement. Economic Liberties is awaiting action by Judge Casey Pitts in the matter.

Since the HPE-Juniper settlement was announced, Economic Liberties has been at the forefront of efforts to hold Mizelle accountable and demand scrutiny of the deal’s corrupt machinations. The behind-the-scenes dynamics of the HPE-Juniper saga were first reported by The Capitol Forum and Semafor when it was discovered that two top Antitrust Division officials, Roger Alford and Bill Rinner, were forced out due to the objections they raised to the settlement. Further reporting by outlets like UnHerd, BIG, and The American Prospect revealed that political muscle behind the last-minute settlement and how it was coordinated through “boozy backroom meetings” with lobbyists. Economic Liberties subsequently called for the deal’s corporate lawyers to be subpoenaed, Congressional investigations into DOJ leadership, and filed a brief with the Northern District of California demanding a thorough probe of Mizelle’s involvement in thwarting law enforcement. Senators Warren, Booker, Klobuchar, and Blumenthal also urged the judge presiding over the case to investigate. Feeling the pressure, top DOJ officials — likely Mizelle — attempted to spin the story again, saying that the deal was critical to national security despite that point never being raised in the original complaint.

After being ousted, Roger Alford gave a speech directly calling out Chad Mizelle’s deference for lobbyists and his role in pushing through the merger, saying that he “accepts party meetings and makes key decisions depending on whether the request or information comes from a MAGA friend.” This kicked off another round of outside scrutiny, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt even getting asked about the antitrust saga at a press conference. The pressure has continued as recently as last week, with speakers at the 2025 Anti-Monopoly Summit mentioning it as a key sign of corrupted merger enforcement, including Senator Cory Booker who called out Chad Mizelle by name, and Roger Alford himself, who shed additional light on the settlement and internal turmoil within the Division.

Read Economic Liberties’ comment letter to the court on HPE-Juniper here.

Learn more about Economic Liberties here.

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The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.