President-elect Trump’s collection of Gail Slater to function the Justice Department’s antitrust chief is drawing reward from anti-monopoly advocates – who mentioned it despatched a robust sign Google and Apple will stay beneath vital stress as blockbuster instances towards them play out.
The Irish-born Slater is an Oxford-trained legal professional and antitrust hawk who served as a high financial adviser over the past 12 months to Vice President-elect JD Vance. During that point, Vance has known as for Google to be damaged up and heaped reward on FTC Chair Lina Khan, a Democrat, for going after Big Tech.
“Google needs to be shaking in its boots” after Slater’s choice, based on Mike Davis, a former high Senate Judiciary Committee lawyer and founding father of the conservative Internet Accountability Project.
“Gail Slater is an in depth private buddy and President Trump’s good alternative to guide the antitrust division,” Davis advised The Post. “She is a uncommon mixture of good antitrust legal professional and ‘America First’ Trump loyalist.”
As head of the DOJ’s antitrust division, Slater will inherit a slate of high-profile battles. She will spearhead the company’s push for treatments after a federal choose dominated in August that Google has an unlawful monopoly over on-line search.
The DOJ just lately known as for Google to be compelled to promote its Chrome internet browser, although Trump has expressed skepticism a few breakup.
Slater will substitute present DOJ antitrust boss Jonathan Kanter, who additionally drew reward from some conservatives for his aggressive crackdown on Big Tech giants.
“AAG Jonathan Kanter helped steer the Justice Department Antitrust Division by means of a historic rebuild and by taking up unchecked Big Tech monopolies which might be stifling innovation and elevating costs on American households,” mentioned Sacha Haworth, government director of The Tech Oversight Project.
“It is our honest hope that the Trump Administration will construct on that success, and Gail Slater is a robust candidate to proceed that work,” Haworth added.
Elsewhere, Matt Stoller, an outspoken Google critic and researcher on the American Economic Liberties Project, wrote on X that Slater’s choice “is a really highly effective assertion that Trump needs to tackle Big Tech.”
Aside from her work with Vance, Slater has just lately been advising the Trump transition staff on tech and antitrust coverage. She additionally served on the National Economic Council throughout Trump’s first time period in workplace – which is when the DOJ first introduced its landmark case towards Google’s search empire.
Slater did in-house stints at Fox Corp. and Roku and likewise had a prolonged tenure as an legal professional on the FTC, the place she sought to dam Whole Foods’ acquisition of grocer Wild Oats and later served as an adviser to then-FTC Commissioner Julie Brill.
Despite being considered a Big Tech antagonist, Slater additionally labored on the now-defunct commerce group Internet Association, which as soon as represented the likes of Google and Amazon.
The DOJ additionally has a pending case concentrating on Google’s alleged digital promoting monopoly and one other concentrating on Tim Cook-led Apple’s iPhone dominance.
As The Post reported, Slater had additionally been seen as a high candidate to function Trump’s Federal Trade Commission chair earlier than touchdown the DOJ gig.
Trump signaled that Slater will take the combat to Big Tech in his Truth Social publish asserting her choice.
“Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competitors in our most progressive sector and, as everyone knows, utilizing its market energy to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, in addition to these of Little Tech!” Trump wrote.
“I used to be proud to combat these abuses in my First Term, and our Department of Justice’s antitrust staff will proceed that work beneath Gail’s management,” Trump added.
