At a glance
Trump demanded an investigation into oil firms for alleged price gouging as crude prices fell below $75 per barrel. He claimed the industry kept pump prices artificially high.
Trump demanded that the Justice Department investigate oil companies for alleged price gouging. He claimed they kept pump prices artificially high even as crude oil fell below $75 per barrel. There's no evidence of a coordinated price-fixing scheme, and oil companies typically adjust pump prices with a lag behind crude prices.
This is a political prosecution disguised as antitrust enforcement. The DOJ doesn't investigate industries because a president is unhappy with prices—that's not how the criminal system works. But if the administration directs prosecutors to find crimes, some will look. The risk isn't that they'll find actual price-fixing that exists. It's that they'll build a case on shaky ground, and companies will have to defend themselves in court regardless of guilt. That's a form of power that doesn't require a conviction.
Citation trail
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