DOJ antitrust shake-up reflects effort to define ‘MAGA antitrust’ after Slater exit

Published February 16, 2026 6:00am ET



The Justice Department is reshuffling its antitrust leadership as the Trump administration moves to more clearly define what officials and allies have begun calling “MAGA antitrust,” an approach already taking shape at the Federal Trade Commission under Chairman Andrew Ferguson.

Former Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater left her post on Thursday after being given an ultimatum to resign or be terminated by week’s end. Her exit followed several public signs of turbulence in the antitrust division, including a since-deleted social media post announcing the removal of her chief of staff, Sara Matar, and the resignation of deputy antitrust chief Mark Hamer earlier in the week.

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