Warren Blocks Trump’s Pick for Antitrust Chief

[Draggingtree]

Bloomberg

Warren Blocks Trump’s Pick for Antitrust Chief

By Sara Forden  and Billy House August 7, 2017, 3:00 AM CDT August 7, 2017, 3:02 PM CDT

 

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren put a "hold" on the confirmation of Makan Delrahim, President Donald Trump’s nominee to run the Justice Department’s antitrust division, delaying a vote until at least September, according to two people familiar with the matter. 

 The delay means Delrahim remains on the outside as Justice Department lawyers wrap up their investigation of AT&T Inc. and Time Warner Inc.’s proposed $85.4 billion merger and start early talks with company representatives about possible conditions that could secure approval. AT&T’s bid for the owner of CNN and HBO would reshape the media landscape and has drawn fire from Trump.

 Warren has described the nomination of Delrahim, a former deputy assistant attorney general in the antitrust division, as an indication that Trump’s administration will "put the interests of giant corporations ahead of the American people," according to an April 3 post on her Facebook page. Delrahim was previously an attorney at law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP and lobbied on behalf of companies pursuing mergers.