The Justice Department’s top antitrust official, Gail Slater, announced Thursday that she is resigning from her post, less than a year after she was appointed by President Donald Trump.
Slater, who has served as assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s Antitrust Division since March, said in a post on X that she would be leaving her post, but she did not specify a reason for her departure.
“It is with great sadness and abiding hope that I leave my role as AAG for Antitrust today,” Slater said. “It was indeed the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role. Huge thanks to all who supported me this past year, most especially the men and women of @justiceatr.”
Slater was presented with the option to resign rather than be fired later this week, the Guardian reported. Omeed Assefi, who temporarily held Slater’s role prior to her appointment, is set to once again serve as interim assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division.
Vice President JD Vance, who was once in Slater’s corner and had her as his senior adviser, reportedly grew weary when Slater started telling her colleagues she had his backing.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Slater had frequent disagreements, with Bondi saying the antitrust official often deflected orders and jumped ranks.
Prior to Slater’s departure, she had posted on X that “Chief of Staff Sara Matar’s detail has concluded” but deleted the departure announcement shortly after posting. Bondi claimed that Slater did not have authority over Matar’s contract, and it was then renewed.
Slater’s No. 2 announced last week that he would be leaving his post and returning to public service.
Slater’s tenure was marked by internal tensions, including last summer’s firing of two senior deputies following a dispute over a controversial settlement that cleared Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s acquisition of Juniper Networks.
After the settlement, Slater’s disagreements with Bondi became clear. Bondi was convinced the merger was in the interests of national security by intelligence officials, but Slater disagreed.
Slater attempted to get the White House to overturn Bondi and revisit the tech giants’ merger.
Following Slater’s request, two of her deputies who opposed the merger decision were forced out.
Slater’s resignation comes as the department is engaged in one of the most consequential merger reviews in recent years — the proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Netflix.
The DOJ has launched an antitrust investigation into whether Netflix’s roughly $80 billion proposal and broader business practices could stifle competition in the entertainment industry.
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As part of the review, prosecutors are examining whether the streaming giant’s combination with the major Hollywood studio could give it undue market power or otherwise harm consumers.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Justice Department for comment.