XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, sac.politics, talk.politics.guns   
   XPost: alt.government.employees   
   From: noreply@mixmin.net   
      
   Top Trump administration officials ousted Justice Department antitrust   
   chief Abigail Slater and had discussions with her shortly before she   
   announced on social media that she was leaving the department, sources   
   told CBS News.   
      
   Slater didn't cite a reason for her departure in her statement on X,   
   where she wrote, "It is with great sadness and abiding hope that I leave   
   my role as AAG for Antitrust today."   
      
   But she had lost the trust of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy   
   Attorney General Todd Blanche, according to multiple sources familiar   
   with the matter, with one source adding they felt the only way to move   
   the president's agenda forward was through new leadership.   
      
   In her post as assistant attorney general for antitrust, she determined   
   whether business merger deals would be approved or get derailed, and her   
   every move was closely watched by the business community.   
      
   For now, she will be replaced by Omeed Assefi, who previously served as   
   acting assistant attorney general before Slater was confirmed and most   
   recently served as deputy assistant general for criminal enforcement,   
   sources told CBS News.   
      
   Trump officials believed Slater had undermined pending cases because of   
   disagreements with leadership and had disobeyed requests, including to   
   not embark on expensive travel to Europe and on other matters, two   
   sources said.   
      
   On one occasion, Slater angered Bondi when she traveled to a conference   
   in Paris without following department rules on travel, prompting the   
   department to cut off access to Slater's government credit cards, two   
   sources told CBS News.   
      
   Vice President JD Vance was aware of the fraught dynamics with Slater at   
   the agency, two sources said.   
      
   Justice, we thank Gail Slater for her service to the Antitrust Division   
   which works to protect consumers, promote affordability, and expand   
   economic opportunity."   
      
   Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts criticized Slater's   
   ouster, saying in a statement, "Americans' top concern is affordability,   
   but one of Trump's few bipartisan-supported nominees — the top law   
   enforcement official responsible for stopping illegal monopolies and   
   protecting American consumers — was just ousted. Why? It looks like   
   corruption. A small army of MAGA-aligned lawyers and lobbyists have been   
   trying to sell off merger approvals that will increase prices and harm   
   innovation to the highest bidder."   
      
   Warren continued, "Every antitrust case in front of the Trump Justice   
   Department now reeks of double-dealing," and added that "Congress has a   
   responsibility to unearth exactly what happened and hold the Trump   
   administration accountable."   
      
   Slater had been on the job for less than a year. Her exit marks the end   
   of a short tenure that was fraught with tension between her office and   
   senior department leaders, sources told CBS News.   
      
   Earlier this month, Slater had announced on her X account that her chief   
   of staff would be stepping down, only to later delete the post. Semafor   
   reported that Slater had sought to terminate Sara Matar, by not renewing   
   her contract, but was overruled by Bondi. Such personnel decisions   
   typically involve a bureaucratic approval process.   
      
   And amid a dispute related to the Justice Department's settlement   
   greenlighting Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion acquisition of   
   Juniper Networks, Justice Department chief of staff and Acting Associate   
   Attorney General Chad Mizelle fired Roger Alford, who had served in the   
   first Trump administration and was Slater's top deputy, and Bill Rinner,   
   a former counsel at hedge fund Apollo Global Management who was in   
   charge of merger enforcement.   
      
   In a scathing speech in August, Alford blasted "MAGA-In-Name-Only   
   lobbyists and DOJ officials" who were pursuing an antitrust agenda that   
   curried favor with special interests. In his speech, he specifically   
   criticized Mizelle, as well as Associate Attorney General Stanley   
   Woodward.   
      
   "It is my opinion that in the HPE/Juniper merger scandal Chad Mizelle   
   and Stanley Woodward perverted justice and acted inconsistent with the   
   rule of law," Alford said at the time.   
      
   After Slater's ouster, Mizelle posted on X, "No one is entitled to work   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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