“As the federal government was wrapping up its antitrust investigation of Google Inc., company executives had a flurry of meetings with top officials at the White House and Federal Trade Commission, the agency running the probe,” Brody Mullins reports for The Wall Street Journal. “Google co-founder Larry Page met with FTC officials to discuss settlement talks, according to visitor logs and emails reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Google Chairman Eric Schmidt met with Pete Rouse, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, in the White House… Since Mr. Obama took office, employees of the Mountain View, Calif., company have visited the White House for meetings with senior officials about 230 times, or an average of roughly once a week, according to the visitor logs reviewed by the Journal.”
‘Google’s knack for getting in the room with important government officials is gaining new relevance as scrutiny grows over how the company avoided being hit by the FTC with a potentially damaging antitrust lawsuit. Last week, the Journal reported that the FTC’s competition staff concluded that Google used anticompetitive tactics and abused its monopoly power in ways that harmed Internet users and rivals,” Mullins reports. “The staff recommended a lawsuit, which would have triggered one of the highest-profile antitrust cases since the Justice Department sued Microsoft Corp. in the 1990s. FTC commissioners voted unanimously to end the probe.”
“On Nov. 6, 2012, the night of Mr. Obama’s re-election, Mr. Schmidt was personally overseeing a voter-turnout software system for Mr. Obama,” Mullins reports. “By the end of the month, the FTC had decided not to file an antitrust lawsuit against the company, according to the agency’s internal emails… During Mr. Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, Google employees were the second-largest source of campaign donations to his campaign by any single U.S. company, trailing only Microsoft.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Who’s surprised?
If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family Anatidae on our hands. — Douglas Adams
Microsoft must still be kicking themselves for not greasing Clinton administration palms (enough?) to avoid their monopoly abuse lawsuit.
Related articles:
U.S. FTC report details how Google skewed search results in its own favor – March 20, 2015
Google’s antitrust settlement with U.S. FTC reshapes patent disputes – January 5, 2013
The FTC’s missed opportunity on Google – January 4, 2013
Obama to reward Google’s Schmidt with Cabinet post? – December 5, 2012
Consumer Watchdog calls for probe of Google’s inappropriate relationship with Obama administration – January 25, 2011
Too much influence.
I wonder how often Amazon visits?
Why can’t decisions be based on what is best instead of based on the best lobbyist?
Because it is the American way. Capital to run everything. Even politics.
How embarrassing for President Obama.
You ever hear of Teapot Dome? Every administration has had its fair share of corruption.
Google representatives met with “senior officials” at the White House. I doubt that President Obama met with them very often. I am more concerned about the possibility of undue influence with respect to the FTC and potential legal actions.
Yeah. Seems like they should at least have to wait until they’re charged with something before they start working on an out of court settlement. Sounds like the FTC probably had them dead to rights and they knew it. We’ll always have to wonder now.
If President Obama is not embarrassed by arbitrary executing tyrannical power to murder people without trial around the world — including USA’s citizens and thousands of civilians — then nothing is embarrassing for him.
Our government has become nothing but an entirely corrupt institution, open for business to the highest bidder.
Amazingly, some people say we need more regulations to correct this problem. Yet the regulations already exist, but corporate cronies buy their way out of the rules. The only thing more regulations do is to screw the little guy (small business) and give the corrupt politicians more opportunities to demand payoffs, I mean campaign contributions.
Is this a great country or what!
Completely agree. Reminds me of an old saying;
If you can’t buy your own government, migrate to a place where you can.
Seems, that that’s how things go nowadays.
This is what has become known as “free speech.”
Too expensive for me to participate, apparently. (o_O)
So, is this the moment when the rise of the oceans begin to slow and our planet begins to heal?
We can add climate change denier and pro-pollution to your list of ideological failings? Thanks for the update..
Nah, I’m just waiting for one of these ridiculous promises to be delivered. Hey, is Guantánamo still open?
PolitiFact: Obama’s long list of broken promises
Suckers.
Yep, none of the “red” states would accept the prisoners that your boys jailed. You use some truly lame arguments.
I wish that I had the time to waste to document all of your failures.
Fwhatever…no. We are about three to four billion people past and a lot of recycling and renewable energy short of the beginning of planetary healing.
Besides, this is a scientific issue. Political change can only help if it supports the science (which yours does not).
Another day, another obamanation scandal. Getting so routine .
OBummer is the worst. He meets with people that do not matter and refuses to meet with those that do. It’s a wonder our country is still standing. Can’t wait for him to fade into the dustbin of history, what an abberation.
And you will still be a whiner when history lauds the Obama Presidency.
F Google and Schidth and…..
IASSOTS. Corporate Oligarchy manipulation of MY government. NO, this isn’t the United Corporations of America, you nasty parasites. 😛
Their knees must be filthy!