Sen. Klobuchar Says Google Breakup Should “Be On The Table”

During a virtual keynote speech for the American Bar Association Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Democrat – Minnesota) praised the Justice Department for leaving open the option of structural remedies in its recent antitrust lawsuit against Google, reported CNBC.

“In a serious monopolization action like this one, it’s important that a breakup remedy be on the table,” she said.

Klobuchar’s name has been floated as a possible attorney general under President-elect Joe Biden, CNBC reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. She was an early Biden endorser after ending her own presidential bid earlier this year. Biden has announced no specific names for most cabinet positions, but did announce Ron Klain as his chief of staff on Wednesday.

Klobuchar said the Google case was an “important start” but noted that state attorneys general could still join and broaden the case, which will soon fall to the incoming Biden administration.

She also made clear that Congress needs to take action to ensure robust antitrust enforcement. She said a number of Supreme Court cases have made it more difficult for the government to succeed in antitrust challenges, leaving it up to lawmakers to reset expectations in the courts.

“If anyone’s waiting on the courts to solve our monopoly problem, that’s going to take a really long time,” Klobuchar said. “We need to update our laws. We really don’t have another choice besides increasing enforcement.”

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