As the 2024 presidential election approaches, high-profile lawyers representing Big Tech clients are co-hosting a series of blue-chip fundraising events for the Kamala Harris campaign, but antitrust watchdogs They are raising voices of criticism.
Last Thursday, a group of “Harris Antitrust Lawyers and Economists” held a virtual fundraiser featuring an appearance by former U.S. Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta. Ticket prices ranged up to $6,600, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by the newspaper.
Notable co-hosts include Daniel Bitton, a partner at San Francisco-based law firm Axin, who is defending Google in the Biden-Harris Justice Department lawsuit targeting its alleged digital advertising monopoly; It was
Other co-chairs included Renata Hesse, who previously downplayed concerns about Google’s monopoly in online search. Edith Ramirez, a former Democratic FTC chair, once defended Google’s YouTube in a class action lawsuit over children’s privacy. Ethan Glass represents clients such as JetBlue Corp. against U.S. antitrust claims.
Kamala Harris’ campaign agents have signaled that she will take a friendlier stance toward corporations. zumapress.com
“This is a meeting of the ‘big law’ lawyers who have fought against the FTC and the Department of Justice on behalf of monopolistic companies, and who are now shamelessly storming the castle after being shut out during the Biden era.” said one Democrat focused on antitrust issues. post.
The newspaper reached out to the Harris campaign, Bitton, Hesse, Ramirez and Glass for comment, but did not receive a response.
Earlier this month, the Post reported on conflict of interest concerns that arose after several key members of Google’s legal team co-hosted a fundraiser for Harris in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 18 (tickets cost $5. up to $1,000).
Karen Dunn, a top litigator at White Shoes law firm Paul Weiss, became infamous for leading preparations for Harris’ final debate against Trump on the same day she delivered opening arguments for Google in the digital advertising trial. He was a highly regarded figure and was named co-chairman.
Daniel Bitton is part of the team defending Google in the Justice Department’s antitrust case targeting its digital advertising business. Asin
Dunn’s colleagues Jeannie Lee and Bill Isaacson also attended the event, along with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Tony West, Uber’s general counsel and Harris’ brother-in-law. Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates attended.
Just one day later, longtime Amazon general counsel David Zapolsky co-hosted the fundraiser with key Harris campaign surrogates and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by the newspaper. It is said that he did.
In California, Newsom recently vetoed an AI safety bill that had been vigorously opposed by tech startup Andreessen Horowitz and industry groups representing Google and Meta. Amazon-backed AI company Anthropic initially opposed the bill, but after securing the changes, it expressed enthusiastic support for the bill.
Edith Ramirez was named the Harris campaign’s fundraising co-chair last Thursday. Getty Images
The offensive comes as Big Tech companies weather an unprecedented wave of antitrust litigation.
Apple and Google are in the midst of historic antitrust lawsuits by the Department of Justice, and Amazon and Facebook are currently being sued by the Federal Trade Commission. AI leaders such as chip suppliers Nvidia and OpenAI are also attracting regulators’ attention.
Garrett Bentley, a communications executive, said: “The fact that[Harris’ campaign]continues to work with lawyers from Google and other Big Tech companies to raise money is a big deal, whether Republican or Democratic. “But for anyone interested in reining in Big Tech monopolies, this is very worrying.”
Key regulators appointed by the Biden-Harris administration, including FTC Chair Lina Khan and SEC Chair Gary Gensler, have been accused by Silicon Valley bigwigs of leading a crackdown on prominent companies operating in the artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency fields. is facing fierce opposition from
Renata Hesse once downplayed concerns about Google’s monopoly on online search. Sullivan & Cromwell Law Office
In July, billionaire Reid Hoffman provoked the ire of progressives by accusing Ms. Khan of “waging war on corporate America” and publicly calling for Ms. Harris to be removed from office if elected. Other Democrats, including Mark Cuban, have called for Gensler to step down.
This backlash has contributed to a surprising shift in support for Trump in Silicon Valley, most notably Elon, who recently declared himself a “Dark Maga” and donated millions of dollars to his campaign. It’s a mask.
The Harris campaign has made a clear effort to reassure Silicon Valley, a longtime source of support and large donations to the Democratic Party.
Ms. Harris’ key representatives, including Mr. Cuban and Mr. West, have argued publicly and behind closed doors that Ms. Harris would take a friendlier stance toward corporate interests if elected.
Karen Dunn (center) and other Google lawyers hosted a fundraiser for Kamala Harris earlier this month. Reuters
Asked by the Post how the Harris administration would address Big Tech’s antitrust issues, Cuban said, “I don’t know.”
Last week, the Washington Post reported that West and former Treasury Department official Brian Nelson told tech executives they were in “listening mode” in closed-door outreach meetings on behalf of Harris. Reported.
Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz had previously expressed support for Trump, but last month reversed course by pledging a “significant” donation to Harris. “I have had several conversations with Vice President Harris and her team about future technology policy, and I am encouraged by their belief in her,” Horowitz said.
Kamala Harris has yet to take a firm stance on how she will approach Big Tech’s antitrust issues. Getty Images
In September, Ms. Harris released an economic policy summary that offered perhaps the most substantive view of the policies she would pursue in her administration.
The 82-page document said the Harris administration would “encourage innovative technologies such as AI and digital assets while protecting consumers and investors,” but the word “antitrust” was mentioned only once. Mentioned.
Some anti-monopoly watchdog groups have previously warned that pro-business advisers in Harris’ orbit could be behind the scenes lobbying for leniency against Google. This could result in a “slap settlement” rather than the full-fledged partition that the federal government is seeking.
In August, the Justice Department scored a historic victory when Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google is a “monopolist” that illegally controls the online search market. He is expected to decide on a relief package by next summer, but federal regulators have floated forced sales of Google’s Android software and Chrome browser as potential fixes.
Meanwhile, closing arguments in the Justice Department’s digital advertising antitrust case are scheduled to conclude in November. Google President Sundar Pichai has acknowledged that the company is embroiled in antitrust litigation and expects it to be appealed for “years.”
