President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will tap economic policy adviser to Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, Gail Slater, as assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division at the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Before his second victory, Trump repeatedly called out Big Tech’s involvement in manipulating information behind the scenes, alleging that the companies have “systematically” colluded to advance a “censorship regime.” In an announcement on Truth Social, Trump stated the corporations have used their “market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans” and “those of Little Tech.”
“I was proud to fight these abuses in my First Term, and our Department of Justice’s antitrust team will continue that work under Gail’s leadership,” Trump wrote.
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“In her new role, Gail will help ensure that our competition laws are enforced, both vigorously and FAIRLY, with clear rules that facilitate, rather than stifle, the ingenuity of our greatest companies. Congratulations Gail – Together, we will Make America Competitive Again!” Trump continued.
Slater, who was previously a tech policy adviser on the National Economic Council during Trump’s first term, spent 10 years at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as well as advising former Democratic FTC Commissioner Julie Brill during the Obama administration.
Following Trump’s win, Silicon Valley CEOs publicly congratulated the former president despite facing backlash from Trump and other Republicans over the years. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, posted to X stating Trump had made an “extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory.”
Slater is expected to take over a number of high-profile cases involving massive companies accused of illegally building and protecting monopolies. In August, Google took a large hit after a federal judge ruled the company violated U.S. antitrust law through its search business. U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta wrote in his filing that the tech company abused a “monopoly” through its search business to be the automatic search engine for browsers such as Apple’s Safari and Mozilla’s Firefox.
Founder and president of the Internet Accountability Project (IAP) Mike Davis, who has notably supported Trump and his call outs of Big Tech, echoed public support for Slater’s nomination, writing on X that the former Vance adviser is not only the “best choice,” but will help build a “fairer, more competitive economy that prioritizes U.S. innovation, small business growth, and a level playing field for all.”
“President Trump is committed to taking on Big Tech monopolists that crush competition, shutter small businesses, censor conservatives, and undermine American leadership and national security interests,” Davis wrote. “Gail will serve as his top law enforcement officer at the DOJ in this critical battle.”
In 2022, the IAP launched a campaign ad supporting Republican senators in urging a bill targeting Apple and Google called the Open App Markets Act. The bill eventually passed the Senate, allowing the prevention of app stores, like Google Play and Apple’s App Store, from requiring developers to use Big Tech’s in-app payment systems as the method of distribution.
President Joe Biden had placed antitrust lawyer and advocate Jonathan Kanter to head the division in 2021.
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