President-elect Donald Trump has shortlisted candidates to replace Lina Khan as chair of the Federal Trade Commission. Those include J.D. Vance’s aide Gail Slater and current FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson, sources familiar with the matter told the Post.
Mr. Khan, whose aggressive enforcement tactics on antitrust laws have roiled the business world, has drawn occasional praise from some Republicans, including Mr. Vance, until Trump took office in January. He is expected to leave the powerful authority later.
Her term officially expired in September.
Mr. Slater advises Trump’s transition team on tech and antitrust policy, Mr. Vance on economic policy, and is a leading candidate for FTC chairman, sources said.
The Oxford-educated lawyer served as special assistant to President Trump during his first term and worked at Fox and Roku.
“My gut feeling is it’s Gail,” said a person familiar with the situation. “She’s at the center of this issue. She’s pro-Vance, but she’s accepted by the business community.”
Some point to Mr. Ferguson.
A former top adviser to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who already serves on the committee, could be named acting chairman following Khan’s resignation, some DC insiders said. believes it gives him an advantage over Mr. Slater.
“Ferguson played a key role at the FTC, clerked for Clarence Thomas, and endorsed many of Donald Trump’s judges while serving in the Senate,” a Republican official said. said.
But Mr. Ferguson’s relationship with Mr. McConnell, who famously clashed with Mr. Trump over the years as Senate Majority Leader, could hurt his chances.
The Republican Party is currently divided into two camps. One camp favors a more traditional, pro-business law enforcement approach, and the other camp wants to crack down on Big Tech and other monopolies.
Mr. Vance was one of the few conservatives to praise Mr. Khan’s aggressive enforcement approach at the FTC. He has also publicly called for Google to be broken up.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, a major Trump donor who played a key role in promoting the election campaign and will lead the administration’s Office of Government Efficiency, was among the business leaders who criticized Khan.
Another potential candidate is another incumbent Republican FTC Commissioner, Melissa Holyoak.
Like Ferguson, he may serve as acting manager until a permanent appointment is confirmed.
Mark Meador, a well-known lawyer who previously worked with the FTC and the Justice Department’s antitrust division, also could be hired, the people said.
Mr. Meador, who is currently in private practice, also served as an antitrust policy advisor to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).
Another person familiar with the situation said, “Meador is doing well and is among the candidates.”
Alex O’Criar, a former Justice Department senior antitrust prosecutor who was involved in the investigation into Google during President Trump’s first term, is also on the shortlist.
He is currently a partner at Whiteshoe law firm Morrison & Foerster.
Khan’s eventual successor will lead several major pending lawsuits, including those against Amazon and Meta.
Earlier this week, a judge ruled that the FTC’s lawsuit seeking to break up Meta over its acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram can proceed to trial.
The Trump administration is expected to continue taking a tough stance against Big Tech companies, which Vance and others have repeatedly called for to be broken up.
But Mr. Trump’s appointees are likely to take a softer approach to mergers and acquisitions than Mr. Khan, who fought to block deals such as Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Sources say one of the above nominees could serve as the Justice Department’s antitrust director, a position currently held by Biden nominee Jonathan Canter, as the Trump administration develops its antitrust policy. There is a possibility that he will be selected.
“President-elect Trump is deciding who will serve in his second administration,” Caroline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump’s transition team, said in a statement. “Those decisions will be announced as soon as they are made.”
Requests for comment from each candidate went unanswered or declined.
