Six weeks after Obama’s fundraiser, a $172 million tech case was quietly killed. Can Trump expose why?

Did Obama administration officials use government power to influence a private patent dispute involving a corporation co-founded by one of former President Barack Obama’s longtime political supporters?The known facts do not prove they did. But unusual events surrounding ParkerVision’s long-running litigation against Qualcomm raise that possibility and demand an answer.The threat extends beyond one company. If political access helps determine which private sector companies succeed and which are destroyed, government neutrality collapses and capitalism gives way to favoritism — undermining the constitutional protections upon which American democracy depends. What began as a dispute over homemade American technology may therefore be a test of whether Americans can trust government to remain neutral when companies compete — or whether powerful political connections can influence Washington to pick winners and losers.The issue should ignite a broad constituency of Americans: entrepreneurs, inventors, investors, small-business owners, and voters who believe government should never secretly favor the politically connected.The unanswered questions deserve attention now. President Donald Trump has an opportunity to find out.A jury verdict — and what happened next ParkerVision prevailed before a federal jury in October 2013. After hearing the evidence, the jury unanimously found Qualcomm infringed ParkerVision’s patents and unanimously awarded $172.7 million in damages.Months later, the court held a hearing addressing additional relief and directed the parties to negotiate future royalties and report back to the court within 30 days — ParkerVision understood that request as indicating a desire to close the case in the near term with a final judgment that included royalties. Then came a sequence of events that deserves examination — not jumping to conclusions, but careful examination.On May 8, 2014, President Barack Obama attended a Democratic fundraiser at the San Diego home of Qualcomm co-founder and longtime political supporter Irwin Jacobs. Eleven days after the fundraiser, on May 19, according to web records, a computer associated with the White House Executive Office of the President visited ParkerVision’s website. The visitor’s only interest was in the pages regarding patent litigation against Qualcomm. This was the first such visit from the White House ever, as identified by ParkerVision’s website records. Four weeks later, on June 20, the federal judge who had presided over the trial, indicating there would be on-going royalties, overturned the unanimous jury verdict and entered his final order closing the case. The judge reversed the unanimous jury verdict based on a prior Qualcomm argument that ParkerVision believes the court had already rejected months before the jury trial.Before I explain why I am concerned that this outcome may have been a product of presidential meddling, it’s important to note that ParkerVision appealed the judgment to the Federal Circuit. ParkerVision did not contest the judgment as the resort of meddling. It couldn’t because it could not prove this on appeal. Instead, it argued on appeal that the judgment was not supported by the evidence or the law. The Federal Circuit disagreed and affirmed. The Supreme Court declined to review that decision.But this judicial review was cold comfort that justice commanded the result. I was left with an aching feeling that it wasn’t. According to web records, the Department of Justice also has accessed ParkerVision’s website including some visits occurring on the same day that Qualcomm also accessed the same number of pages on the ParkerVision website.These facts do not prove government interference. But they raise an obvious question: What was the Obama administration’s interest in ParkerVision during this period?That question should be answerable.A second ParkerVision case against Qualcomm, filed more than 12 years ago in the same courthouse, is still awaiting its first jury trial — leaving ParkerVision unable, after more than a decade, to present that case to a jury. The records that could answer it On Dec. 16, 2025, ParkerVision asked the National Archives (NARA) to produce records that might shed light on all this. NARA responded just two weeks later that it had identified records potentially responsive to ParkerVision’s four categories of requested information. ParkerVision then quickly narrowed its request to speed review; however, as of the current date, NARA has neither disclosed the identified records, claimed any are not responsive, or claimed any are exempt from Freedom of Information disclosure requirements.The records could reveal improper conduct, an innocent explanation, or something in between. That is why they should be released.I am not asking Americans to assume interference occurred. I am asking the government to release the records so no one has to rely on assumptions.With Americans voting this fall, voters should know whether officials improperly influenced a judicial proceeding to curry favor from a wealthy corporate donor.Why this matters beyond ParkerVision The stakes extend beyond one company. Free enterprise does not guarantee success. It requires neutral rules, property rights, and courts that decide disputes based on law and evidence — not lobbying dollars and access.The government must not secretly place its power behind favored participants. When political access determines economic winners, capitalism gives way to political privilege. Property rights become conditional, innovation becomes riskier, and entrepreneurs begin wondering whether better technology matters less than knowing the right people.If innovators believe a politically connected incumbent can obtain advantages unavailable in the marketplace or courtroom, investment and innovation suffer. One company may be the immediate casualty; American jobs and competitiveness may be the broader ones.A test of transparency FOIA is more than an administrative requirement. It safeguards against government power operating beyond public view.Trump has argued that powerful Washington institutions have operated without sufficient accountability and that Americans deserve to know what their government has done in their name. Here is an opportunity to put that principle into practice.I do not know what these records will show. If they reveal an innocent explanation, their release can end years of suspicion. If they show Obama administration officials crossed the line from observing private litigation to influencing it, Americans deserve to know that, too.Let the documents speak Trump did not create this mystery, but his administration can resolve it. Direct NARA to complete its lawful review, release every nonexempt record, and explain the legal basis for anything withheld.OPINION: OBAMA AND COBURN BUILT THE RECEIPT. IT’S TIME TO DEMAND THE ITEMIZED BILLCapitalism cannot remain free if the government secretly chooses its winners. Democracy cannot remain healthy if citizens are denied the records needed to hold government accountable.Mr. President, release these records — and let the documents speak.Jeff Parker is the founder of ParkerVision.