Washington, DC – June 4, 2025
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Bill Rinner emphasized a renewed commitment to vigorous but fair merger enforcement in remarks today at the George Washington University Competition and Innovation Lab Conference. Speaking on behalf of the DOJ Antitrust Division under Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater, Rinner stressed that merger enforcement must balance procedural fairness with robust law enforcement, avoiding both overdeterrence and regulatory overreach.
Rinner made clear the Division’s commitment to case-by-case analysis, rejecting broad presumptions of harm and defending the importance of judicial review in maintaining legitimacy. He announced the Division would not issue “scarlet letter” warnings, leverage antitrust powers for unrelated policy aims, or abuse merger review tools to build unrelated cases.
Highlighting a preference for structural remedies, Rinner referenced the recent Keysight/Spirent divestiture settlement as an example of effective, transparent enforcement. He called for clearer public guidance and more rigorous review of divestiture buyers, while reaffirming that settlements must genuinely preserve competition.
In sum, Rinner positioned the DOJ as a law enforcer, not a regulator, vowing that merger enforcement under Slater’s leadership will be guided by transparency, respect for process, and legal discipline, all while remaining firm against anticompetitive deals.
