ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Text of Letter (PDF)
WASHINGTON, D.C. โย U.S. Representative Becca Balint (VT-AL), a member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, wrote to Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, who oversees the Department of Justiceโs Antitrust Division, urging the agency to โclosely scrutinizeโ Fox Corporationโs (Fox)ย proposed $22 billion takeover of Roku, Inc.ย (Roku) and commit to reviewing the merger โfree from political interference and in an impartial fashion.โ ย
โWe are concerned that, given the Department of Justiceโs recent rubber-stamping of deals that may violate antitrustย law โย and in particular, your apparent role interfering in nonpartisan antitrust enforcement โ the (DOJ) may not give this transaction the close review it deserves,โย wrote the lawmakers.ย
Representatives Jerold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust; Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.); Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.); Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.); Summer Lee (D-Pa.); and Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) also joined in signing the letter. ย
In recent months, senior DOJ leadership, including Associate Attorney General Woodward, and politically connected lobbyistsย reportedlyย intervening in antitrust enforcement actions such as the Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)-Juniper Networks merger settlement, which led to the firing ofย then-Antitrust Division senior officialย Roger Alford and another deputy after they objected to the interference. ย
If approved, the Fox-Roku merger would combine the countryโs two largest free, ad-supported streaming…