The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission’s rift over the Qualcomm antitrust case continued on public display Thursday, as FTC accused DOJ of trying to shield the wireless connectivity giant from antitrust law.

The Justice Department’s antitrust division, with the support of the Defense and Energy departments, filed a statement of interest earlier this week that asked the Ninth Circuit to stay U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh’s antitrust injunction. Without a stay pending appeal, Qualcomm will be harmed and rivals such as Huawei Technologies will be strengthened as 5G connectivity is rolled out, to the detriment of U.S. national and even nuclear security, DOJ argues.