On December 16, 2025, Professor Roger P. Alford, Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School and former Principal Deputy Attorney General for the DOJ’s Antitrust Division in the current Administration, testified before the House subcommittee on antitrust. The topic of his testimony was the politicalization of European antitrust enforcement. But before turning to that subject, Professor Alford “want[ed] to begin my remarks with the more pressing and urgent concern of the politicalization of United States antitrust enforcement.”

                  As mentioned in a prior Cartel Capers post, President Trump issued a pretrial pardon to Timothy Leiweke who had been indicted just this last July for allegedly rigging a construction and management bid to build an entertainment arena for a public university in Texas.  The Antitrust Division had touted the indictment as a big step in bringing competition to the entertainment industry. Professor Alford had this to say about the pardon in his written remarks:

Today, Trey Gowdy is playing a leading role in promoting a politicized justice system. On July 9, 2025, the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division charged Tim Leiweke with bid rigging “to benefit his own company and deprive a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding.” According to published reports, Gowdy lobbied senior leadership within the Department of Justice to get the case dropped, but to no avail. So Gowdy went above the heads of every senior official in the Department of Justice and appealed directly to President Trump. During a golf outing with President Trump on November 16, Gowdy convinced the President that Leiweke had been treated unfairly by Trump’s own Department of Justice. Precisely what was unfair? The companies and other executives had secured immunity deals if they would cooperate and testify against the principal offender, Tim Leiweke. Two weeks later, Tim Leiweke received a preemptive pardon. (footnotes omitted).

Professor Alford’s remarks also included: How to Address the Politicalization of Antitrust Enforcement.  I hope you will read his full written remarks, here.

Thanks for reading.

Bob Connolly    bob@reconnollylaw.com