Sources told the Post that big tech lobbyists are working hard to bring Makan Delrahim into the incoming Trump administration despite his shaky history at the Justice Department.
Delrahim was supposed to be the head of the Justice Department's antitrust division during President Trump's first term, where he was supposed to crack down on big technology companies, but he was slow to move forward with what was being prepared as a major lawsuit against Google. former employees told the Post.
In fact, Mr. Delrahim stalled on the case, until he recused himself in 2019. This is because it turned out that he had previously represented Google in a lawsuit.
This led then-Attorney General Bill Barr. Bring in outsider Ryan Shores Sources told The Post that he was appointed to oversee antitrust litigation.
Regarding Delahim, Coach Barr said, “I wasn't satisfied with the slow pace, so I brought in Shores as a manager.''
“Mr. Delahim only stepped down after months of working on the case,” another source said, adding to the delay.
Despite his alleged obstruction of major investigations, Delrahim remains under consideration for positions including chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. semaphores First reported.
“Big Tech's allies are clearly trying to push his name into the transition phase, and it will take full court coverage to get him considered,” a person with direct knowledge of the matter told the Post. told the paper.
Other sources are more wary, saying a potential appointment to the Federal Trade Commission or even his previous job at the Justice Department could undermine President Trump's ambitious policies when he takes office in January. It warns that there is a possibility that
“He's not MAGA, he's more of a Google guy. He would be the perfect FTC chairman for Mitt Romney, not Donald Trump,” a source close to Trump told the Post.
Illustrating how they view Mr. Delahim's ideological positions as out of step with Mr. Trump and how he may be influenced by organized forces, the source said, added, “If possible, Mr. McCann would have joined the ranks of national security officials who censored Hunter Biden's laptop.”
Mr. Barr allowed Mr. Delrahim to recuse himself from the case, despite the fact that he had already been working on the case for nearly a year, in what was seen as a face-saving measure.
“Others at the Justice Department knew that Mr. McCann would never bring the Google case because he was too concerned about the Google case. [how he’d be seen when] I went back to my private practice,” one former staff member told the Post.
“It's extremely unusual for the antitrust chief not to be in charge of the biggest case of President Trump's entire term,” said another former official.
Others added that Delahim may be looking for a job at the FTC, but would be open to returning to his old job.
“He's desperate for relevance,” another source added. Former officials added that winning a position in the government would be an important stepping stone to further power.
Delahim did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.
After leaving the Trump administration in 2020, Delrahim took the top job at Latham & Watkins as an advisory partner in mergers and acquisitions.
The antitrust lawsuit against Google was filed in October 2020 and concluded in August with a judge ruling that the company has a monopoly on internet search. The penalty phase of the trial is still underway.
