Trump Weighs Appointing Michael Murray to Lead Antitrust at DOJ
The White House is considering nominating attorney Michael Murray, who worked in the previous Trump administration, to lead antitrust enforcement at the U.S. Justice Department, according to people familiar with the plans.
Murray, a partner at law firm Paul Hastings LLC, previously served as the deputy assistant attorney general for antitrust from 2018 to 2020. Before that, he was an employee of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. If nominated by the White House, Murray would replace Gail Slater, who was ousted in February after less than a year as antitrust chief over disagreements over merger policy.
No final decision has yet been made for the Justice Department’s top antitrust post. It is currently held by Acting Deputy Attorney General Omeed Assefi, who plans to leave once his replacement is confirmed, according to one of the people who asked to remain anonymous discussing a confidential process.
The timing of Murray’s nomination likely depends on the White House formally nominating a new attorney general, some say. President Donald Trump fired his first attorney general, Pam Bondi, earlier this month. Todd Blanche currently heads the Department of Justice.
The White House and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Murray declined to comment.
During the first Trump administration, Murray argued against the Justice Department’s unsuccessful attempt to block AT&T Inc.’s acquisition of Time Warner; these assets are owned by Paramount Skydance Corp.’s Warner Bros. It was put up for sale once again because Discovery Inc. wanted to buy it.
According to the law firm, Murray helped manage more than $65 billion in transactions through antitrust investigations in 2025; this includes American Express Global Business Travel Group Inc.’s acquisition of rival CWT Holdings; It’s a deal that the Biden Justice Department objected to but was later withdrawn by Trump officials. He also represented semiconductor company Groq in a $20 billion deal in which Nvidia Corp. bought a non-exclusive license for the company’s technology and hired most of its employees.
“He’s the perfect candidate for the job,” said Andrew Finch, who served as acting antitrust chief at the beginning of his first term before becoming Trump’s No. 2 official. “He understands how the DOJ works, how the department operates. I expect him to be in favor of a predictable work environment.”
If confirmed by the Senate, Murray would take over a part of the agency that is facing staff shortages following the departure of many senior staff. Since the beginning of the year, the Trump administration has moved toward accepting settlements in most cases, while many of the Justice Department’s leading antitrust plaintiffs have departed. The heads of the agency’s seven civilian antitrust units also left.
The Justice Department, which objected to the merger in the early days of the new administration, has not yet objected to another deal. Two hospital systems, one in New York and the other in Ohio, were sued for allegedly forcing insurance companies into overly restrictive contracts.
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