Washington, D.C. — Following oversight letters from Senate Judiciary leaders demanding answers from Attorney General Pam Bondi about the forced resignation of Department of Justice Antitrust Division chief Gail Slater, the American Economic Liberties Project released the following statement.

“The firing of Gail Slater is a five-alarm warning for American consumers and small businesses,” said Morgan Harper, Director of Policy & Advocacy at the American Economic Liberties Project. “Slater was confirmed 78-19 by the Senate to enforce the antitrust laws vigorously, and she was pushed out less than a year later, just weeks before the landmark case to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster goes to trial. When a Live Nation lobbyist can publicly brag about recommending the firing of the nation’s top antitrust enforcer, something has gone very wrong. Senators Booker, Klobuchar, and others are right to demand answers about this pay-to-play regime, and we strongly support their efforts to ensure that antitrust enforcement is driven by law and facts, not by corrupt corporate lobbying.”

Slater’s departure follows the resignation of her deputy, Mark Hamer, and comes amid reports that Live Nation executives and lobbyists have been negotiating directly with senior DOJ officials to settle a pending monopolization case, allegedly bypassing the Antitrust Division. Senator Booker, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, led a letter with Senator Durbin on February 13 demanding extensive documentation on DOJ communications with named political operatives and corporate representatives. Senator Klobuchar followed on February 15, leading seven Senate colleagues in raising broader concerns about a pattern of Antitrust Division experts being sidelined, including in the HP/Juniper merger settlement and the Compass/Anywhere real estate merger review.

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The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; international trade arrangements that promote balanced trade and benefit workers, farmers and small businesses; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.