Jonathan Sallet being vetted for antitrust post

Apparently, the Biden team is vetting Jonathan Sallet — a former top lawyer under the Obama administration and architect of net neutrality rules — for a top antitrust post. One possible job would be heading the Department of Justice’s powerful Antitrust Division. Sallet’s name has been in the mix for that post for several weeks. The fact that he is going through the arduous vetting process means he’s being seriously considered for an influential administration role focused on competition policy. President Joe Biden also has yet to name a permanent chair for the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces both antitrust and consumer protection laws. Sallet would bring decades of experience in antitrust and technology issues. For the past two years, Sallet has worked for Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser heading up the multistate antitrust investigation into Google’s online search products. He was the principal author of the complaint that more than 30 states and territories filed in late December against Google — which takes aim at the search engine’s conduct to make inroads into emerging technologies such as connected cars and home speakers — and served as the lead lawyer on the case until Feb 2021.