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Warren, Jayapal tell Google to stop seeking DOJ antitrust chief recusal

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Delegate Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts speaks in the Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing on Security in Afghanistan and In the Regions of South and Central Asia. It took place in Dirksen Building on Tuesday 26 October 2021.

Tom Williams, CQ Roll Call, Inc.| CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), told GoogleSundar Pichai’s CEO said Wednesday that he would not continue to try to bully Jonathan Kanter, Department of Justice antitrust chief, into recusal. This was in an exclusive letter sent exclusively to CNBC.

The lawmakers stated that Google should be more concerned with complying with antitrust laws than trying to manipulate the system using these unsightly techniques.

These are the following Kanter’s confirmation in the SenateIn November GoogleThe DOJ requested that he be removed from any cases or investigations related to its business. Google citedKanter has done previous work for rivals such as YelpIn antitrust cases involving the company’s business, he cited previous statements regarding Google’s dominance as evidence that he had already decided on Google’s liability.

Kanter did not commit to recusing from Google matters, but he told legislators before his confirmation that he would talk with DOJ ethics officers about the possibility. Kanter would be barred from the ongoing antitrust suit against Google by the Department and any subsequent investigations. However, Kanter’s deputies would assume responsibility.

WarrenJayapal claimed that Google’s arguments “refute federal ethics requirements by improperly claiming Mr. Kanter worked against Google to enforce antitrust law in the past and cannot now do so for federal government.”

According to federal ethics laws and regulations, recusal must be obtained if a person has any financial interests involving specific parties or worked in an employer or for a client within the last two years.

Democrats argued that Kanter had not represented Google and the U.S. in any federal case against Google. This should not have been a reason for Kanter’s recusal.

Google’s logic will nullify federal enforcement activity. A civil-rights litigator at Department of Justice might be asked to withdraw herself from cases against state known for voter-suppression attempts if she had opposed the same suppression tactics. “This interpretation turns federal ethics laws—designed to prevent government officials from working against the government interest for private gain—upside down.”

Jayapal, Warren, and Jayapal pointed out Kanter’s widespread support by his peers and senators. Kanter was confirmed before that. nine of his predecessors from both parties wroteHe was supported by the Senate. He was supported by 20 Republican senators in his confirmation.

Google is not alone in seeking an Antitrust Official’s Refusal. Amazon FacebookLina Khan, the Chair of Federal Trade Commission, was also urged to step aside from all cases that involved their companies based on past statements. Warren, Jayapal, and other Democrats also urgedBoth of these companies should back their campaigns.

An official from Google was not immediately available for comment.

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