President-elect Donald Trump has assembled a shortlist of candidates to replace Lina Khan as Federal Trade Commission chair — including top JD Vance aide Gail Slater and current FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson, sources familiar with the matter said. with this matter to The Post.
Khan — whose aggressive antitrust enforcement tactics have rattled the business community despite drawing occasional praise from some Republicans including Vance — is expected to leave the powerful agency after Trump’s inauguration in January.
Her term officially expired in September.
Slater, who has advised Trump’s transition team on technology and antitrust policy and who has advised Vance on economic policy, is herself a front-runner to head the FTC, the sources said.
The Oxford-educated lawyer served as a special assistant to Trump during his first term in the White House and worked at Fox Corp. and Roku.
“My gut is that it’s Gail,” said a source familiar with the situation. “She is at the center of this. She is a Vance person, but acceptable to the business community.”
Others are pointing to Ferguson.
Former chief adviser to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is already an acting commissioner, could be named acting chairman after Khan leaves — and some D.C. insiders believe that gives him a leg up on Slater.
“Ferguson is somebody who has served in a big role at the FTC, he worked for Clarence Thomas, he confirmed a bunch of judges for Donald Trump when he was working in the Senate,” a Republican insider said.
However, Ferguson’s ties to McConnell — who famously butted heads with Trump during his years as Senate majority leader — could hurt his chances.
The GOP is currently divided into two camps — one that prefers a more traditional business-friendly approach to enforcement and the other that wants a crackdown on Big Tech and other monopolistic corporations.
Vance is one of a handful of conservatives who praised Khan’s aggressive enforcement stance at the FTC. He has also publicly called for Google to break up.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, a Trump megadonor who played a critical role in boosting his campaign and is slated to lead a “department of government efficiency” for his administration, was among the business leaders who have criticized Khan.
Other possible contenders to lead the FTC include Melissa Holyoak, the other current Republican FTC commissioner.
Like Ferguson, she could serve as acting chief until a permanent choice is confirmed.
Mark Meador, a highly regarded attorney who previously held gigs with the FTC and the DOJ’s antitrust unit, is also a possibility, according to sources.
Currently in private practice, Meador also served as an antitrust policy advisor to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).
“Meador is good and in the mix,” said another source with knowledge of the situation.
Alex Okuliar, a former senior DOJ antitrust lawyer who was involved in the Google investigation during Trump’s first term in office, is also on the shortlist.
He is currently a partner at the white-shoe law firm Morrison Foerster.
Khan’s eventual replacement will lead an agency with several major lawsuits pending, including cases against Amazon and Meta.
Earlier this week, a judge ruled that the FTC’s case seeking an unbundling of Meta’s purchases of WhatsApp and Instagram can proceed to trial.
The Trump administration is expected to remain tough on Big Tech firms, which Vance and others have repeatedly called on to break up.
However, Trump’s appointees are likely to take a softer approach to mergers and acquisitions than Khan — who fought to block deals, including Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard.
Either of the above candidates could also be named to serve as the DOJ’s antitrust chief — the position currently held by Biden appointee Jonathan Kanter — as the Trump administration refines its antitrust policy, according to the sources.
“President-elect Trump is making decisions about who will serve in his second administration,” Trump transition team spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “Those decisions will be announced when they are taken.”
Requests for comment for each of the candidates were not returned or declined.
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