{"id":2623365,"date":"2026-07-03T13:46:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T17:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-investigating-oil-companies-over-manipulating-gas-prices\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T13:49:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T17:49:59","slug":"doj-investigating-oil-companies-over-manipulating-gas-prices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-investigating-oil-companies-over-manipulating-gas-prices\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ investigating oil companies over manipulating gas prices"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-investigating-oil-companies-over-manipulating-gas-prices%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2623365&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Justice Department is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-bashes-scotus-for-stymying-his-get-trump-lawfare\/\" title=\"Biden Bashes SCOTUS For Stymying His Get-Trump Lawfare\">urging <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-include-money-for-abortion-providers-in-1-9-trillion-covid-aid-package\/\" title=\"Dems Include Money for Abortion Providers in .9 Trillion COVID Aid Package\">state attorneys general<\/a><\/a> to investigate whether oil companies are illegally maintaining high gasoline prices, as part of President Donald Trump\u2019s campaign against alleged price gouging. In a joint letter from the DOJ\u2019s Antitrust Division adn the Federal Trade Commission, authorities are encouraged to investigate potential manipulation or collusion in gasoline markets under antitrust and consumer protection laws. This action follows Trump&#8217;s public accusations that oil companies are not passing on lower crude oil prices to consumers, implying market manipulation. The agencies highlighted their vigilance in monitoring petroleum markets and their readiness to enforce laws against illegal practices.Consumers are encouraged to report suspected violations, and whistleblower rewards are available. Currently,the national average gas price is about $3.82 per gallon, down from recent highs, though still higher than last year. additionally, the DOJ has filed a lawsuit against major egg producers for price manipulation, indicating an ongoing aggressive enforcement effort to protect consumers from anti-competitive conduct across diffrent sectors.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Justice Department<\/a> is urging state attorneys general to investigate whether oil companies are illegally keeping gasoline prices artificially high, escalating President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s campaign against what he has called price gouging at the pump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a joint letter <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/atr\/media\/1450951\/dl?inline=&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_source=govdelivery\">sent Friday<\/a>, the DOJ\u2019s Antitrust Division and the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ftc\/\">Federal Trade Commission<\/a> encouraged state attorneys general to launch investigations under their own <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antitrust\/\">antitrust<\/a> and consumer protection laws into companies suspected of manipulating gasoline prices or colluding with competitors. The three-page letter prominently features Trump\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116803130747198847\">June 24 Truth Social post<\/a> accusing major oil companies of failing to pass along <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-biden-says-gas-companies-are-overcharging-americans-at-the-pump\/\" title=\"Fact-Check: Biden Says ... ... Are Overcharging Americans at the Pump\">declining crude oil prices<\/a> to consumers.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4630769\/afd-end-russian-boycotts\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>AfD wants to end German boycott on Russian energy, says failed Ukraine invasion shows Kremlin is no threat<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4622304\/trump-blasts-oil-companies-for-not-lowering-prices\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump blasts oil companies for not lowering prices to consumers, accuses them of price gouging<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/energy\/4576032\/states-see-average-gas-prices-above-four-dollars-gallon\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>All states see average gas prices above $4 a gallon<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The agencies warned they are \u201cclosely monitoring petroleum markets\u201d and pledged to use both civil and criminal enforcement tools against companies found violating antitrust laws.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAffordable energy is essential to a thriving American economy,\u201d Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Antitrust Division is committed to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >working alongside state law enforcement partners<\/a> to provide resources and support to protect consumers from anticompetitive behavior that raises the price of gas. The Antitrust Division will use all available tools to ensure that companies are held accountable for unlawfully manipulating the market,\u201d Woodward added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letter comes nine days after Trump publicly directed the DOJ to investigate whether oil companies were keeping gasoline prices elevated despite a sharp decline in crude oil prices.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe big Oil Companies are not dropping their price at the pump commensurate with the sharply lower prices they are paying for Oil,\u201d Trump wrote on Truth Social on June 24. \u201cThose prices are dropping like a rock! In other words, customers are being \u2018gouged.\u2019 I have instructed the DOJ to immediately start looking into this.\u201d That post appears at the top of the agencies\u2019 letter to state attorneys general.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The DOJ and FTC stressed that volatility in oil markets \u201cdoes not suspend either the antitrust laws or state consumer protection laws\u201d and said businesses may not use changing market conditions \u201cas cover for anticompetitive practices, fraud, or any other lawlessness that harms Americans.\u201d The agencies also encouraged states with price-gouging statutes to determine whether enforcement actions are warranted under those laws.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letter directs consumers to report suspected antitrust violations through the DOJ\u2019s Citizen Complaint Center and the FTC\u2019s fraud reporting portal. It also highlights the Antitrust Division\u2019s whistleblower rewards program, which pays informants between 15% and 30% of criminal fines collected in qualifying cases. The department noted it awarded its first $1 million whistleblower payment earlier this year to an individual who helped uncover an online used-car price-fixing conspiracy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">National average gas prices currently stand at around $3.82 per gallon, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/gasprices.aaa.com\">according to<\/a> AAA Fuel Prices. That\u2019s down roughly 44 cents since last month, when fuel averaged around $4.26. At this time last year, the national average was $3.16.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative; width: 100%; height: 0px; padding: 66.7% 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; will-change: transform;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/bdc07528-2e2b-416b-ba52-abf34cf63783?src=embed&#038;embed_type=responsive_iframe\" title=\"Gas Prices\" allowfullscreen allow=\"fullscreen\" style=\"position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0px; left: 0px; border-width: medium; border-style: none; border-color: currentcolor; border-image: initial; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The administration\u2019s latest move continues an aggressive antitrust enforcement campaign focused on consumer prices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ftc\/\"><strong>DOJ SUES EGG PRODUCER OVER \u2018MANIPULATED\u2019 PRICES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this week, the DOJ <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/atr\/media\/1450281\/dl?inline\">filed a lawsuit against several of the nation\u2019s largest egg producers<\/a>, alleging they conspired to manipulate industry price benchmarks and inflate wholesale egg prices through coordinated bidding strategies and private trades. Federal prosecutors alleged the scheme contributed to record egg prices before prices collapsed after the companies learned they were under investigation in 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lawsuit named Cal-Maine Foods, Hickman\u2019s Egg Ranch, and Versova Holdings, among others, and seeks to bar future anticompetitive conduct while enforcing proposed settlements that require compliance programs and restrict communications with competitors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DOJ urges probes into oil firms over alleged gas price hikes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2623366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26152716060467.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[45347,82180,32544,49327],"class_list":["post-2623365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-doj-investigation","tag-fuel-pricing","tag-gas-prices","tag-oil-companies"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26152716060467.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2623365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2623365"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2623365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2623373,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2623365\/revisions\/2623373"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2623366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2623365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2623365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2623365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}