President-elect Donald Trump has drawn up a shortlist of candidates to replace Lina Khan as chair of the Federal Trade Commission — including top aide J.D. Vance, Gail Slater, and current FTC Commissioner, sources familiar with the matter told The Post. Andrew Ferguson is involved.
Khan — whose aggressive enforcement strategy on antitrust has irked the business community, despite occasionally receiving praise from some Republicans, including Vance — is expected to leave the powerful agency after Trump’s inauguration in January.
His term formally ended in September.
Slater, who is advising the Trump transition team on technology and antitrust policy and who has advised Vance on economic policy, is himself a leading candidate for FTC chair, the sources said.
The Oxford-educated lawyer served as a special assistant to Trump during his first White House term and also worked at Fox Corp and Roku.
A source familiar with the situation said, “I believe it is Gayle.” “He is at the center of it. He is a Vance person but acceptable to the business community.”
Others are pointing to Ferguson.
The former chief counsel to Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is already a sitting commissioner, could be appointed as acting chairman following Khan’s exit — and some DC insiders believe That gives him an edge over Slater.
“Ferguson is someone who has played a big role at the FTC, he clerked for Clarence Thomas when he worked in the Senate, he confirmed a bunch of judges for Donald Trump,” said one Republican insider. Was.”
However, Ferguson’s relationship with McConnell — who has famously clashed 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 the demise of Google.
Meanwhile, Trump megadonor Elon Musk, who played a key role in promoting his campaign and is expected to lead a “department of government efficiency” for his administration, was among the business leaders who have criticized Khan.
Another potential contender to lead the FTC is Melissa Holyoak, the other current Republican FTC Commissioner.
Like Ferguson, she could serve as caretaker boss until a permanent selection is confirmed.
Mark Meador, a highly-respected attorney who previously worked with the FTC and the DOJ’s antitrust unit, is also a possibility, according to sources.
Currently in private practice, Meador has also served as an antitrust policy advisor to Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah).
Another source with knowledge of the situation said, “Meador is good and in the mix.”
Former senior DOJ antitrust lawyer Alex Okuliar, who was involved in the investigation of Google during Trump’s first term in office, is also on the short list.
He is currently a partner at white-shoe law firm Morrison Foster.
Khan’s eventual replacement will help the agency deal with several key pending lawsuits, including the cases against Amazon and Meta.
Earlier this week, a Judge rules FTC case seeking to separate Meta WhatsApp and Instagram can proceed on trial regarding its acquisition.
The Trump administration is expected to remain tough on Big Tech companies, which Vance and others have repeatedly called for breaking up.
However, Trump appointees are likely to take a softer stance towards mergers and acquisitions than Khan – who fought to block deals including Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard.
According to sources, any of the above candidates could be chosen to serve as DOJ antitrust chief — the post is currently held by Biden-appointee Jonathan Cantor — as the Trump administration works on its antitrust policy. .
“President-elect Trump is deciding who will serve in his second administration,” Carolyn Levitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump transition team, said in a statement. “Those decisions will be announced when they are made.”
Requests for comment from each candidate were not returned or were declined.
