Booker, Durbin Demand Answers on Trump Administration's Removal of DOJ Antitrust Chief Gail Slater

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, and Dick Durbin, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi after Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater of the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division announced her resignation on social media, with subsequent reports indicating that she was terminated. Booker and Durbin requested extensive documentation and communications related to Ms. Slater's removal, ongoing antitrust litigation, and any contacts between Department officials and outside political actors.

"The timing of this decision, particularly in light of imminent enforcement actions and pending litigation, not only raises serious concerns about potential improper influence or political intervention but also deepens the cloud already hanging over prior actions that have undermined confidence in the Division's independence. It comes on the heels of the resignation of Mark Hamer, Ms. Slater's second-in-command, and reinforces a troubling pattern in which senior Antitrust Division officials appear to be sidelined when their enforcement decisions conflict with the interests of President Trump or his allies," the Senators wrote.

"For these reasons, we have serious concerns that Ms. Slater's absence places the Department's case against Live Nation/Ticketmaster for illegally inflating ticket prices at extreme risk of political interference and leaves the Division's review of the Netflix-Warner Bros. merger and Paramount's hostile bid vulnerable to undue influence at a critical moment," the Senators continued.

This week, Semafor reported that Live Nation executives and lobbyists had been negotiating with senior officials at the Department, allegedly circumventing the Antitrust Division, to avert a trial over whether the company operates an illegal monopoly that has driven up concert prices.

"Taken together, these developments raise grave concerns that enforcement decisions are being shaped through backchannel negotiations and political pressure, rather than through the independent and even-handed application of the law," the Senators wrote.

The Senators requested that DOJ provide the following information by February 17, 2026:

1. All information and documents concerning communications between any Department of Justice official or employee and the following individuals or categories of individuals: Mike Davis; Kellyanne Conway; Richard Grennell; Michael Rapino; Larry Ellison; David Ellison; any lobbyists or representatives acting on behalf of corporate parties with interests before the Antitrust Division; President Donald J. Trump; Stephen Miller; and any other White House or Administration officials. This request encompasses communications conducted through official or personal devices or accounts where official business was discussed.
2. The information and documents requested shall include, but are not limited to, communications relating to (a) the removal of Gail Slater, (b) the Department's litigation involving Live Nation/Ticketmaster, or (c) the Department's review of the proposed Netflix-Warner Bros. transaction or Paramount's hostile bid. For each communication, please identify the date, participants, and mode of communication (including email, text message, phone call, video conference, messaging application, or in-person meeting).
3. All information and documents reflecting internal discussions, deliberations, or decision-making within the Department of Justice regarding the removal of Gail Slater, including briefing materials, decision memoranda, draft statements, calendar entries, and communications among political appointees and career staff.

To read the full text of the letter, click here.