UPDATED 21:42 EST / DECEMBER 04 2024

POLICY

Trump nominates Gail Slater to lead antitrust at DOJ and crypto backer Paul Atkins for head of SEC

President-elect Donald Trump today picked Big Tech critic Gail Slater to become the assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division at the Department of Justice in a slew of nominations that also included crypto-friendly Paul Atkins as head of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Slater served Trump during his first presidential term as a tech policy adviser at the National Economic Council, and more recently was as a policy adviser for Vice President-elect JD Vance. She will inherit several antitrust lawsuits, including the DOJ’s case against Apple Inc.’s business model and the case against Google LLC’s business practices regarding its Chrome browser. At the same time, Amazon.com Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. are both fighting antitrust cases against the Federal Trade Commission.

“Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in our most innovative sector and, as we all know, using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, as well as those of Little Tech!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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.”

That said, Slater, a former lawyer at the now defunct Internet Association and adviser at the FTC, will no doubt continue the aggressive approach of the DOJ to Big Tech under the Biden administration. “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,” said Trump.

Trump’s other big tech-related pick today was former SEC commissioner under President George W. Bush, Paul Atkins, who if confirmed will again become SEC commissioner. He will replace Gary Gensler, not a popular figure among crypto enthusiasts for his hard-line take against digital currencies. Atkins’ nomination could mean a U-turn of crypto policy under Biden.

“Paul is a proven leader for common sense regulations,” Trump said in a statement. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, and that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets and other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before.”

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