NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. Senate on Wednesday [9-27-17] confirmed President Donald Trump’s nomination of Makan Delrahim to be the antitrust chief at the Justice Department, setting the stage for a new period of Republican enforcement after eight months of limbo.
Mr. Delrahim, 47 years old, arrives at the Justice Department amid public uncertainty about the Trump administration’s approach to antitrust enforcement. Republican regulators generally favor a less interventionist approach than Democrats, but Mr. Trump’s populist comments during last year’s presidential campaign, including his opposition to AT&T Inc.’s planned $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc., have complicated the usual predictions.
Mr. Delrahim, who previously served in the Justice Department’s antitrust division during the George W. Bush administration, is considered to be in the traditional Republican mold, though many antitrust observers believe he won’t shy away from bringing cases when he believes they are warranted.
His nomination received bipartisan support, resulting in a 73-21 Senate vote.”
-Brent Kendall, “Senate Confirms Makan Delrahim as Antitrust Chief at Justice Department,” The Wall Street Journal online, Sept. 27, 2017 06:41pm