California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement in response to a decision from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California approving the U.S. Department of Justice’s proposed settlement of the Hewlett Packard Enterprise/Juniper Networks merger. Last year, Attorney General Bonta and a coalition of 13 attorneys general intervened in the $14 billion HPE/Juniper merger, amid allegations of backroom dealings between U.S. DOJ and lobbyists and concerns that the merger was not in the best interest of the American people.

“We are disappointed by the court’s decision accepting the U.S. DOJ’s HPE/Juniper merger settlement. The court called U.S. DOJ’s deal a ‘limited’ settlement approved under duress after the Trump Administration threatened to dismiss the lawsuit, leaving the public with no remedies at all — Americans deserve better. Stunningly, and amid allegations of backroom dealings, the court has also recognized that this settlement was not reached through a routine process. My office is committed to standing up for fairness and the integrity of regulatory processes and is proud to have stood up for government transparency and shed critical light on this settlement process.” – AG Bonta