Trump officials oust Abigail Slater as DOJ’s antitrust chief, sources say

Abigail Slater, the former assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, has been ousted from her position by top Trump administration officials. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Slater had discussions with officials shortly before announcing her departure on social media without citing a reason for leaving.

Slater’s role as the AAG for Antitrust involved overseeing business merger deals and determining their approval or rejection, making her a key figure in the business community. However, she lost the trust of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who believed that new leadership was necessary to advance the president’s agenda.

Following her departure, Slater will be replaced by Omeed Assefi, who previously served as acting assistant attorney general and most recently as deputy assistant general for criminal enforcement. Trump officials accused Slater of undermining pending cases due to disagreements with leadership and disregarding instructions, such as refraining from costly travel to Europe.

One incident that reportedly strained Slater’s relationship with Bondi was her unauthorized trip to a conference in Paris, which led to the department cutting off access to her government credit cards. Vice President JD Vance was aware of the tensions between Slater and the agency, according to sources.

In response to Slater’s departure, Bondi thanked her for her service to the Antitrust Division in protecting consumers and promoting economic opportunity. However, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren criticized Slater’s ouster, questioning the motives behind her removal and calling for accountability from the Trump administration.

Slater’s tenure, which lasted less than a year, was marked by tensions with senior department leaders. Earlier this month, she announced the departure of her chief of staff, only to retract the statement later. Reports also surfaced about disagreements over personnel decisions, including the termination of Sara Matar, which was overruled by Bondi.

Amid a dispute over the Justice Department’s approval of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s acquisition of Juniper Networks, Slater’s top deputy, Roger Alford, and merger enforcement head Bill Rinner were fired by Justice Department chief of staff Chad Mizelle. Alford criticized the department’s handling of the merger scandal and accused officials of favoring special interests.

Following Slater’s ouster, Mizelle defended the decision, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing the president’s agenda and serving the American people. The situation has sparked controversy and calls for transparency in the handling of antitrust cases by the Trump Justice Department.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated that Abigail Slater had fired Roger Alford and Bill Rinner. The article has been updated to reflect that then-Justice Department chief of staff Chad Mizelle made the decision to terminate Alford and Rinner.