Gail Slater, head of the DOJ’s antitrust division, was ousted by the Trump administration, though she suggested on X that she left voluntarily, according to a report
Gail Slater, who led the Justice Department’s antitrust division for nearly a year, was forced out this week by the Trump administration, according to a CNN report, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
Slater, however, suggested in a post on X on Thursday that her departure was voluntary.
According to the report, citing sources, she had clashed for months with Attorney General Pam Bondi and officials in the West Wing, and her removal had been widely anticipated.
It is unclear who will be appointed to the role on a permanent basis.
In a statement on Thursday, Bondi offered muted praise for Slater’s tenure.
“On behalf of the Department of Justice, we thank Gail Slater for her service to the Antitrust Division which works to protect consumers, promote affordability, and expand economic opportunity,” CNN quoted the attorney general as saying.
As its name suggests, the Justice Department’s anti-trust division enforces US antitrust laws, pursuing civil or criminal cases against companies with an eye on promoting competition.
In recent years, it has pursued cases against Apple and Google, and inside the department, Slater was known to be pushing the administration to be aggressive on tech companies, whose leaders often have the ear of Trump.
Tensions between Slater and President Donald Trump’s White House had been evident for months.
In December, Trump granted a “full and unconditional pardon” to Oak View Group co-founder Tim Leiweke, who had been indicted earlier in 2025 by the Justice Department in a case overseen by Slater.
“As outlined in the indictment, the Defendant rigged a bidding process to benefit his own company and deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding,” Slater said in a statement at the time.
In a post on X on Thursday, Slater wrote: “It is with great sadness and abiding hope that I leave my role as AAG for Antitrust today. It was indeed the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role.”
With inputs from agencies
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