Former DOJ antitrust chiefs urge Senate to confirm Jonathan Kanter
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Signage is seen at the United States Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C., August 29, 2020.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Nine former chiefs of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division wrote to leaders of the Senate and its Judiciary Committee Thursday, urging them to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominee to the position, Jonathan Kanter.
This letter shows bipartisan support for Kanter. Kanter was both a progressive favourite and an opponent of Big Tech. Each president since Gerald Ford has at least one representative among the signatories. Former President Donald Trump’s antitrust head, Makan Delrahim, is among them.
The former officials stated that although we might disagree over some antitrust issues they share two crucial convictions. The Antitrust Division requires a smart, experienced leader, someone who understands antitrust enforcement’s importance to our economy, and can inspire the Division’s talented employees to keep pushing for competition across all economic sectors. We agree with Jonathan Kanter that he has the skills and talent to lead well.
The signatories also noted that many of them had witnessed Kanter’s work in action while Kanter was a Federal Trade Commission trial lawyer and then as a private practitioner attorney.
He is an expert on antitrust. It is important to him. He is an articulate and smart advocate. “He respects his enemies and inspires colleagues and co-counsel,” the authors wrote. They concluded that they believe Kanter is the best person for the important job.
Here is the full list of signatories:
Donald I. Baker, Assistant Attorney General 1976 – 1977
Sanford Litvack, Assistant Attorney General 1980 – 1981
Charles F. Rule, Assistant Attorney General 1986 – 1989
James F. Rill, Assistant Attorney General 1989 – 1992
Joel I. Klein, Assistant Attorney General 1996 – 2000
Thomas O. Barnett, Assistant Attorney General 2006 – 2008
Christine A. Varney, Assistant Attorney General 2009 – 2011
William J. Baer, Assistant Attorney General 2013 – 2016
Makan Delrahim, Assistant Attorney General 2017 – 2021
WATCH: How US antitrust law works, and what it means for Big Tech
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