Big tech lobbyists Makan are working hard to bring Delrahim into the next Trump administration, despite his shaky record at the Justice Department, sources told The Post.
Former employees told The Post that Delrahim, who led the crackdown on big tech in Trump’s first term as head of the DOJ’s antitrust division, was slow to plan what would become a major case against Google.
In fact, Delrahim dug into the case and then recused himself in 2019 after it emerged that he had previously represented Google in a case.
After this the then Attorney General Bill Barr did this bring in outsider ryan shores to monitor the antitrust case, multiple sources told The Post.
Regarding Delrahim, Barr said: “I was not happy with the slow pace and brought in Shores to supervise.”
Another source said: “Delrahim recused himself after working on the case for months,” which delayed the case.
Despite allegedly derailing major investigations, Delrahim is still under consideration for roles including chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. Semaphore Was the first person to report.
“Pro-Big Tech forces are clearly trying to push his name forward for the transition, and it’s a full court press for him to consider,” a source with direct knowledge told The Post.
Other sources are more cautious, warning that a potential appointment to the Federal Trade Commission or even his old job at the DOJ could undermine Trump’s ambitious agenda when he takes office in January.
“He is not MAGA, but a Google shill. “He would be the right FTC chair for Mitt Romney, not Donald Trump,” a source close to Trump told The Post.
Citing examples of how they see Delrahim’s ideological stances out of step with Trump and how he may be influenced by institutional forces, the source said: “If he were able, Maken would join those national security officials Who censored Hunter Biden’s laptop.”
Barr allowed Delrahim to recuse himself from the case – despite the fact that he had already been working on it for almost a year – in what was seen as a face-saving measure.
“Others at the DOJ knew Maken would never bring the Google case because he was so concerned [how he’d be seen when] Returning to private practice,” a former employee told The Post.
Another former staffer said, “It’s highly unusual that the head of antitrust would not be in charge of the biggest case of the entire Trump presidency.”
Even though Delrahim may be looking for a job at the FTC, others say he’s also open to getting his old job back.
Another source said, “He’s desperate for relevance.” Former staffers said gaining a spot in the administration would be an important step forward for Power.
Delrahim did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
After leaving the Trump administration in 2020, Delrahim landed a top job at Latham & Watkins as an advising partner in the mergers and acquisitions department.
The antitrust case against Google was filed in October 2020 and ended in August with a judge’s ruling that the company had a monopoly on internet searches. The penalty phase of the trial is still ongoing.
