Re: Joel Klein's lobbying for Boeing

[James Love <love@cptech.org>]

  Steve, by signing up the DOJ antitrust division as a lobbyist for Boeing
  on this issue, it seems not only to create a significant problem for the
  US when it seeks cooperation in breaking up foreign monopolies or other
  antitcompetitive practices, but it undermines whatever credibility DOJ
  has with parties who might approach DOJ with evidence of anticompetitive
  conduct.  Joel Klein may have made some friends in the White House when
  he agreed to join the White House campaign on this merger, but he surely
  undermined the credibility and authority of the DOJ as a law enforcement
  agency.     James Love <love@cptech.org>
  
  
  
  
  
  Ross, Steve wrote:
  > 
  > The U.S. government having decided that a merger that is supposedly
  > good
  > for American shareholders and American workers will not cause any
  > substantial harm to American consumers, I am not particularly troubled
  > by whom the U.S. sends as its emissary to lobby the EC.
  > 
  > What I would like to know is the justification for the U.S.
  > government's
  > substantive position that the use of EC competition law to block the
  > merger would result in trade sanctions.  Joel Klein obviously has a
  > vital institutional interest in being able to protect consumers from
  > international restraints of trade.  I worry that we are now inviting
  > our
  > major trading partners to invoke trade sanctions when we go after
  > their
  > companies.
  > 
  > Steve Ross
  > 
  > >----------
  > >From:  James Love[SMTP:love@cptech.org]
  > >Sent:  Thursday, July 24, 1997 5:19 PM
  > >To:    ABA Antrtrust List; antitrust@essential.org
  > >Subject:       Joel Klein's lobbying for Boeing
  > >
  > >Any thoughts on Joel Klein's recent trip to Europe to lobby for the
  > >Boeing merger, and to specifically lobby the EC against divestiture
  > of
  > >the McDonnell Douglas' civilian aircraft business?
  > >
  > >   Jamie
  > >
  > >
  > >--
  > >___________________________________
  > >James Love
  > >Center for Study of Responsive Law
  > >P.O. Box 1936, Washington, DC 20036
  > >voice 202.387.8030; fax 202.234.5176
  > >http://www.cptech.org  |  love@cptech.org
  > >
  
  -- 
  _______________________________________________________
  James Love | Center for Study of Responsive Law
  P.O. Box 19367 | Washington, DC 20036 | 202.387.8030
  http://www.cptech.org | love@cptech.org