It's "slightly" easier for a local monopoly to write a check to bribe a politician than to "squeeze out" or "collude" with a "new competition". (it's simply a path of least resistance). But either way the monopoly will win.

I think the flaw in your reasoning is the "genetic" logical fallacy https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/genetic

Just because someone "bad" doesn't want something, doesn't make that thing automatically "good"