SouthernWorldwide.com – A conservative critic of the technology sector, Adam Candeub, is reportedly the leading candidate to head the Justice Department’s antitrust division.
Sources familiar with the matter have informed CBS News that Candeub is being considered for the position of Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division.
Candeub currently holds the role of General Counsel at the Federal Communications Commission, working under Chairman Brendan Carr. His background includes leading an initiative to regulate social media companies during President Trump’s initial term.
The current acting Assistant Attorney General for antitrust, Omeed Assefi, who managed a notable settlement with Live Nation, is scheduled to depart next month. His departure was planned to coincide with the expected arrival of his first child in June.
Senior officials from the Trump administration are reportedly still evaluating candidates for the critical role of DOJ antitrust chief. This position is responsible for overseeing mergers and acquisitions and safeguarding against practices like price-fixing.
Before his current role, Candeub was a senior fellow at the Center for Renewing America, a conservative think tank established by Russell Vought, who served as the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Other individuals who have been interviewed for the position in recent weeks include Mike Murray, a former Justice Department lawyer and co-chair of the antitrust practice at Paul Hastings LLP, and Adam Cella, a lawyer associated with House Republicans, according to some sources.
A final decision on the appointment has not yet been made. A spokesperson for the White House indicated that there were no personnel announcements at this time.
The individual ultimately chosen for this role will be responsible for reviewing significant mergers, including the ongoing proposed merger between Warner Bros. and Paramount Skydance, the parent company of CBS News.
Assefi assumed the role of acting Assistant Attorney General following the departure of his predecessor, Gail Slater. Slater was removed in February after experiencing a series of disagreements with then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and their team.
At the time of Slater’s departure, Assefi had informed White House counsel David Warrington and other officials of his intention to leave in June due to family reasons.
“Omeed Assefi has been a valuable leader within our Antitrust Division, and we are grateful for his service to the nation,” stated a spokesperson for the Justice Department.
In an interview with CBS News shortly after taking on the interim position, Assefi expressed his hope to concentrate on antitrust enforcement cases that would have a tangible impact on the financial well-being of ordinary Americans.
Antitrust advocates have expressed concern that a second Trump administration might adopt a more relaxed approach to corporate mergers, citing a series of high-profile settlements.
“The nature of the settlements has made it very clear that antitrust enforcement has been sidelined during Trump’s second term,” commented Reed Showalter, a former Justice Department counsel for antitrust policy during the Biden administration, who is now running for Congress.
Approximately one month after Slater’s dismissal, and while the Justice Department and numerous states were engaged in a significant monopoly case against Live Nation’s parent company, Ticketmaster, the Justice Department announced a settlement with the company. This agreement followed escalating tensions within the administration, as Live Nation and other corporations enlisted Trump-aligned consultants and lawyers to lobby for settlements.
The announcement of the Live Nation settlement reportedly surprised many of the states involved in the case, as well as some Justice Department trial attorneys.
“Ideally, given that the staff were most closely connected to the facts and theory of the case, their input and involvement would have been essential to the division’s decision-making, particularly concerning such a significant matter to the American people,” said a current Justice Department trial attorney who requested anonymity.
Sources indicated that the negotiating team for the Live Nation case operated separately from the trial team.
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A coalition comprising 30 states opted out of the settlement and decided to proceed with the trial. In April, a federal judge in New York ruled in their favor, concluding that Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster had engaged in an illegal monopoly.
