(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump is set to meet with Republican state attorneys general at the White House on Wednesday to discuss allegations of online censorship against conservatives, according to people familiar with the matter.

The meeting comes as the Justice Department prepares to brief states this week on its forthcoming antitrust case against Alphabet Inc.’s Google in anticipation of a filing in the coming days that the states could join.

That case is expected to focus on competitive concerns around the company’s dominance of online search, rather than the bias allegations, which the companies deny.

Still, conservatives, including many attorneys general, have long accused online platforms such as Google and Facebook Inc. of bias and Trump has sought to punish the companies for what he says is their silencing of right-wing voices and content.

“Online censorship goes far beyond the issue of free speech,” said White House spokesman Judd Deere in a statement. “It’s also one of protecting consumers and ensuring they are informed of their rights and resources to fight back under the law.”

Trump wants to hear from the state law enforcers as they “are on the front lines,” Deere said. Some Republicans have floated the idea that attorneys general could use state laws banning deceptive business practices to punish companies for their denials if they are found to be biased.

A group of roughly a dozen state attorneys general, mostly Republicans, are expected to join the Justice Department’s antitrust case, Bloomberg has reported. The lawsuit, which would likely be the most ambitious antitrust case since the U.S. sued Microsoft Corp. in 1998, is likely to be filed next week, said a person familiar with the matter. At least one additional state case could follow.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.