The White House intends to put forward Adam Candeub, the general counsel of the Federal Communications Commission, as its nominee to lead the Justice Department's antitrust division, according to people familiar with the plans cited in reporting.
Justice Department personnel were told this week to anticipate the forthcoming nomination, one of the people said. Those same people reported that Candeub met with President Donald Trump earlier in the week.
Candeub previously served in the president's first administration and contributed to Project 2025 by authoring a section of the Heritage Foundation report that has been described as a blueprint for elements of the current administration's second term. Any formal appointment would be contingent on Senate confirmation, a process that could extend across several months.
The antitrust division has operated under acting leadership since February, when Omeed Assefi took over following the departure of Abigail Slater, who had been confirmed by the Senate as the division's leader. Assefi had earlier served in an acting capacity during the prior administration before Slater's confirmation and is expected to leave the Justice Department later this month.
With Assefi's departure approaching, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward - the Justice Department's third-ranking official - has been overseeing the division's daily operations, according to an internal Justice Department memorandum issued earlier in June.
Context and next steps
The administration's reported plan to nominate Candeub sets in motion the formal confirmation pathway. The public timeline for hearings and a Senate vote has not been specified in the reporting cited, and Justice Department staff were simply informed to expect a nomination soon.
The reported sequence of events includes internal notification to Justice Department staff, a meeting between the nominee and the president, and the continuation of interim management of the antitrust division by senior Justice Department leadership ahead of a further staffing change.
Summary of facts
- Adam Candeub is the FCC's general counsel and is reported to be the White House's choice to lead the DOJ antitrust division.
- Justice Department staff were notified this week to expect the nomination; Candeub met with President Trump earlier this week.
- Confirmation by the Senate is required and could take several months.
- Omeed Assefi has been acting chief since February and will leave later this month; Stanley Woodward has been managing day-to-day operations.