US: Billionaire Thiel is leading the search for Trump’s antitrust officials

A leading Facebook board member and billionaire is now helping the Trump administration’s search to fill the government’s two top antitrust  vacancies, Buzzfeeed reported.

Thiel has argued that monopolies can be good if they are not “illegal bullies or government favorites” but rather “the kind of company that is so good at what it does that no other firm can offer a close substitute.” His singles out Google, which was the subject of an FTC antitrust investigation that closed in 2013.

Thiel is reported by Buzzfeed News to be helping Trump choose the next head of the Federal Trade Commission and the antitrust chief at the Department of Justice.

One candidate to lead the FTC, Joshua Wright, a former commissioner at the agency. Joshua Wright, a conservative law professor who heads President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team for the Federal Trade Commission, is under consideration to lead the Justice Department’s antitrust division, two people with knowledge of the deliberations said. Others may also still be in the running.

The post would give Wright oversight of corporate mergers. A Republican who served as an FTC commissioner from 2013 to 2015, Wright promotes a laissez-faire approach to antitrust enforcement and has been outspoken about how consolidation can benefit consumers. He’s also a strong advocate for using economic analysis to inform enforcement decisions.

It is speculated that another leading contender to chair the FTC is Sean Reyes, the Utah attorney general, according to the Buzzfeed. Reyes co-wrote a letter to the FTC asking the agency to consider reopening an antitrust case against Google that it had closed without bringing charges.

It is said one challenge for Thiel will be finding candidates who are Republican and yet willing to diverge from the libertarian position that the government should basically leave companies alone. Trump’s campaign rhetoric suggested he would favor candidates who envision an active role for antitrust enforcement, and Thiel’s search has reflected that, Buzzfeed said.

Full Content: Buzzfeed

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