Trump Picks for DOJ No. 2 and Antitrust Head Advance in Senate

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced President Donald Trump’s picks to be second-in-command at the Justice Department and head of the antitrust division, setting them both up for expected confirmation.

The majority-Republican panel voted along party lines Thursday to send Todd Blanche, Trump’s pick to be deputy attorney general, to the Senate floor.

The committee voted 20-2 to advance Gail Slater, Trump’s picked to lead the antitrust division, with Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) dissenting.

Blanche, a former Manhattan federal prosecutor who was Trump’s criminal defense attorney, would be the second-highest ranking official at a department that is currently going through a dramatic overhaul and has dealt with several high-profile resignations and firings.

During his nomination hearing, Blanche faced Democratic questioning over efforts to gather names of FBI agents who worked on cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

Slater formerly served as economic policy adviser to Vice President JD Vance when he was a senator. Her background includes more than 10 years at the Federal Trade Commission, as well as stints as a policy adviser at Fox Corp. and Roku Inc.

During her nomination hearing, she declined to comment on several ongoing Justice Department cases, including those against Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Apple Inc. But Slater is generally viewed as someone who aligns with President Biden’s antitrust enforcers on issues pertaining to Big Tech.