Why It Matters
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. remains under Senate scrutiny over the Department of Justice's settlement of its challenge to HPE's $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks. Democratic senators cited the settlement as recently as April 15 as part of what they described as a broader pattern of DOJ leadership overruling antitrust enforcers for political reasons.
HPE and Juniper argued the acquisition would increase customer choice and strengthen U.S. networking infrastructure, while the DOJ's complaint alleged that the combined company and Cisco would control more than 70% of the U.S. enterprise wireless local area network market.
By the Numbers
HPE's combined lobbying expenditures across all registrants reached $1.83 million in the third quarter, up $470,000, or 34.6%, from $1.36 million in the second quarter. The total was also $710,000, or 63.4%, higher than the $1.12 million reported in the third quarter of 2025. HPE's in-house lobbying operation accounted for $1 million, up $360,000, or 56.3%, from $640,000 in the second quarter. Its five listed lobbyists were Sampak Prakash Garg, Bret Wincup, Shawn Vasell, Maria Medrano-Alonzo and Megan Ruane.
The nine outside firms active during the third quarter reported a combined $830,000 in lobbying income from HPE. BGR Government Affairs LLC reported $120,000 and listed David Urban and Nick Iarossi. FGS Global (US) LLC also reported $120,000, listing Rachel Alexander and Gina Foote. Cornerstone Government Affairs Inc. reported $90,000 and listed Mike Smith, Keith Stern, Danny Smith, Stacy Rich, and Andy Flick. Checkmate Government Relations LLC reported $150,000 and listed Usman Rahim, Ches McDowell IV, and Nelson Freeman.
Polaris Consulting LLC reported $60,000 and listed Dan Gans, Bryan Cunningham, and Porter Byers. Innovative Federal Strategies LLC reported $50,000, listing Carl Kime, Ben Jarrett, Joe Minges, Quinton Johnson and Letitia White. Salt Point Strategies LLC reported $50,000 and listed David Redl, Jerry Leverich III, Milla Anderson, Jared Weaver, Ansley Erdel, and Anderson Helton. Washington Tax and Public Policy Group LLC reported $40,000 and listed Greg Nickerson, Max Pedrotti, and Zach Price.
Miller Strategies LLC reported $150,000, unchanged from the second quarter and the third quarter of 2025. The filing lists Luke Wallwork, who has about seven years of House experience, including service on the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Small Business Committee, and with Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC). It also lists Jeff Miller, the firm's founder. The Miller Strategies filing identifies its lobbying issue as "General issues relating to competition impacting HPE," without naming specific legislation. Checkmate filed a new-client registration for HPE during the year, adding another firm to the company's outside lobbying operation.
Broader Context
In August 2025, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) wrote to the DOJ's acting inspector general, requesting an investigation into the HPE-Juniper settlement. The senators cited the firings of two senior antitrust attorneys who reportedly opposed the agreement.
In an exchange released Oct. 7, 2025, Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked Attorney General Pam Bondi whether she had authorized the settlement of DOJ's lawsuit challenging HPE's acquisition of Juniper Networks and the firings of Roger Alford and Bill Rinner after they objected to it. Bondi declined to answer questions about personnel matters or pending litigation.
In February, Klobuchar led six colleagues in a letter to Bondi following the departure of Antitrust Division chief Gail Slater. The senators cited the HPE-Juniper settlement as an example of DOJ leadership "repeatedly sidelined" Antitrust Division experts. On April 15, Klobuchar and Warren led four colleagues in urging a federal court to scrutinize DOJ's Live Nation-Ticketmaster settlement under the Tunney Act. Their letter cited the HPE-Juniper agreement as part of "a larger pattern of Justice Department officials reportedly overruling antitrust enforcers for political reasons."
The American Antitrust Institute urged the court in September 2025 not to approve the HPE-Juniper settlement without additional fact discovery, arguing that DOJ's competitive-impact statement lacked a sufficient factual basis. The European Commission, however, had unconditionally approved the acquisition in July 2024, concluding that HPE and Juniper were not each other's closest competitors.
The Bottom Line
The Justice Department settled its lawsuit challenging HPE's acquisition of Juniper Networks in June 2025, despite reported reservations from then-Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Gail Slater. HPE's lobbying expenditures have since risen substantially, and its outside lobbying roster has expanded to include Checkmate Government Relations LLC. Democratic lawmakers continue to cite the settlement as part of broader concerns about political interference in federal antitrust enforcement.
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