SY/G4 was under Trump.

AS/HA was during a perfect political storm... it was very clear that the activists in DOJ/FTC wanted to torpedo the deal real bad, just like NK. But the admin (or the party) decided that cutting loose a large employer and cultural icon in a deep blue state to sink or swim might not be good optics right before the election. AS management, whether by luck or design, had made an agreement with .gov that forced the timing of decision in the months before the election. Gov couldn't stall until after, they had to block the merger, approve or do nothing. They did nothing and said nothing, by default the merger was not blocked and free to proceed.