"This is attempted corporate murder": Former Trump adviser slams White House over Anthropic dispute

Anthropic

• Ex-Trump adviser: Pentagon-Anthropic dispute harms AI investment
• Ball criticizes US policy moves as risking American AI companies
• Debate grows over government power and AI sector innovation

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Dean W Ball, a former Trump adviser, publicly criticized the administration’s handling of the standoff between Anthropic and the Pentagon, warning that efforts to pressure the company could damage investor confidence in U.S. artificial intelligence.

“Nvidia, Amazon, Google will have to divest from Anthropic if Hegseth gets his way,” Ball wrote on X. “This is simply attempted corporate murder. I could not possibly recommend investing in American AI to any investor; I could not possibly recommend starting an AI company in the United States.”

His comments refer to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s move to designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk to national security, a label that could restrict defense contractors from working with the company.

 Legal Questions and Contract Disputes

 Ball acknowledged uncertainty around the contractual and legal complexities involved in the dispute. He said determining whether a compromise is possible would require specialized legal analysis.

“There may be a deal to be had there,” he wrote, adding that serious conversations with highly specialized lawyers would be necessary to assess the situation properly. He noted that most public commentary has not engaged deeply with the legal dimensions of the issue.

Despite the legal intricacies, Ball framed the core issue as straightforward: whether the U.S. government should be able to use policy tools to effectively destroy a law-abiding American company.

“The question here is pretty simple: should the United States government be able to use policy to destroy a law-abiding American company because it feels like it? My answer is no,” he wrote.

His remarks add to a widening debate over the balance of power between AI developers and federal authorities, as well as the long-term implications for investment, innovation, and national security strategy in the U.S. AI sector.