The backstory: Broadcom (-1.26%), the chipmaker of thwarted Qualcomm-takeover fame, is trying to complete its $19 billion acquisition of CA Technologies (+1.49%), an enterprise software company.
The mystery: On Wednesday, a memo supposedly written by a Defense Department official was circulated suggesting the need for a national security review of the deal. The only problem? A DoD spokeswoman said it was "likely" a fraud.
Why it matters, per Axios's Dan Primack: "Assuming the memo was indeed fraudulent, then we might have just entered a new phase of short-seller espionage." Still, Sen. Rand Paul called for a national security review (while denying the memo played a factor).
