The Justice Department is moving forward with its plans to file antitrust charges against Google, possibly as early as this month.
Google has been the subject of an ongoing investigation for possible antitrust practices. In addition, it has been the subject of multiple investigations, as well as unfavorable rulings, in the EU.
It appears the Justice Department wants to move forward, although there is quite a bit of disagreement about how to do so. The New York Times reported that “Attorney General William P. Barr overruled career lawyers who said they needed more time to build a strong case against one of the world’s wealthiest, most formidable technology companies, according to five people briefed on internal department conversations.”
Evidently, Barr has been displeased with how long the process has taken. There has also been some concern that his decision may be motivated by a desire to take credit for a major antitrust action.
Whatever the motivation, a poorly planned and executed case will likely backfire, and possibly do more damage than if no case had been brought at all.