By Col. Rob Maness
A federal judge’s decision last Monday to let Democratic state attorneys general depose the Trump administration officials who approved a routine merger that the U.S. intelligence community insisted was needed for national security reasons tells us just how divisive the U.S. political system has become.
The case, which involves the merger of two telecom companies, HPE and Juniper, is being framed as just a quest for answers — as a simple transparency measure to ensure no funny business occurred from the Trump White House. In reality, it’s anything but that. It’s the latest episode of selective outrage — another instance where normal, routine governance becomes “lawfare” the moment the Trump administration issues a press release.
When the suit to stop the HPE-Juniper merger first landed, Letitia James, Keith Ellison, and the rest of the Democratic attorneys general sat it out. They refused to sign onto the Justice Department’s suit.
Only after the Trump administration reviewed the facts, weighed the national security implications, and backed a settlement allowing the merger to proceed did they rush in and cry Trump cronyism.
This proves that they aren’t really fighting a merger; they are fighting Trump.
Which is a shame because this merger was a strategic response to a genuine national security challenge.
The United States is in a global technology competition with China, and telecommunications infrastructure is one of the main battlefields.
READ MORE: Trump’s China Strategy Is Working - Here’s the Proof
Huawei, Beijing’s crown jewel in telecom, has been widely recognized as a national security threat. Congress has effectively banned it from U.S. networks. The Department of Defense has designated Huawei a Chinese military company. U.S. allies have restricted it for fear of state subsidies, coercive market practices, and the risk of built-in surveillance.
China’s goal is to dominate the global telecom standards and infrastructure and make the world dependent on its services, so it can control the backbone of the 5G and AI-enabled future.
We can’t let this happen, and the idea that the United States should hobble its own companies in the name of abstract antitrust theory is absolutely ridiculous.
That’s why the Trump DOJ moved to greenlight the HPE–Juniper challenge and allow the merger to go forward under a settlement. According to reporting, senior figures in the U.S. intelligence community personally communicated to DOJ how important the deal was from a national security standpoint. When intelligence professionals who spend their careers assessing foreign threats say a merger strengthens America’s competitive position against China, that should matter.
Yet now Democrats are shouting “corruption,” alleging “Trump backroom dealmaking” and claiming the administration is “open for business for the highest bidder.” Give me a break. The same people who spent years insisting we must “listen to the experts” are suddenly deaf when the intelligence experts draw conclusions that help their leading political opponent (President Trump).
This whiplash reveals a deeper hypocrisy that has come to define the post-Trump Democratic Party.
Before Trump, intelligence agencies were treated as sacrosanct. Their assessments were beyond partisan dispute. After Trump - when intelligence officials say a merger advances national security - Democrats shrug and change the subject.
Before Trump, Democrats talked tough on China - about issues as unfair trade, industrial espionage, and the need to defend American technological leadership. After Trump, any policy that confronts the Communist regime in Beijing, is rebranded as xenophobia or fearmongering - especially if it might benefit U.S. industry.
Before Trump, Democrats argued for controlled immigration to protect American workers and wages. After Trump, every attempt to enforce borders or prioritize domestic labor is smeared as bigotry.
This pattern is not about policy but about posture. Everything Trump touches must be suspect, even when it aligns with long-standing bipartisan goals like countering Chinese state capitalism and protecting critical infrastructure.
According to Democrats, if a decision benefits Trump politically, it must be investigated, litigated, and delegitimized, no matter how strong the substantive case.
Talk about reckless.
America cannot afford these political games. We are competing with a strategic adversary that coordinates state power, capital, and industry without apology. We need to take them head on, not cower because of Democratic outrage.
Democratic AGs, pretending this deal was about corruption-after sitting on the sidelines until Trump backed the deal-only confirms what many Americans already suspect: for some on the left, the real crime to The Left is allowing Trump to be right.
Col. Robert L. Maness (Ret), host of The Rob Maness Show on X, is a 32-year United States Air Force combat veteran, where he served as commander of the 377th Air Base Wing, Kirtland Air Force Base. He was a member of the Trump Campaign’s Veterans and Military Families for Trump Coalition. Follow him on X @RobManess.
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