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White House ousted the DOJ's antitrust chief while she was reviewing Netflix's $82.7 billion Warner Bros. bid

The Live Nation antitrust trial was three weeks away when the Trump administration forced Gail Slater out·February 12, 2026

On February 12, 2026, the Trump administration forced out Gail Slater, the Senate-confirmed head of the DOJ's Antitrust Division, effective immediately. Slater had served less than a year after the Senate confirmed her 78-19 in March 2025. Her departure came as the DOJ was actively reviewing Netflix's $82.7 billion bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's studios and HBO Max, Paramount's competing hostile bid for WBD, and just three weeks before the Live Nation–Ticketmaster antitrust trial was set to begin on March 2, 2026. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy AG Todd Blanche lost confidence in Slater over disputes about enforcement priorities, including her recommendation to conduct an in-depth review of Compass Inc.'s acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate — which the agency allowed to close without review. Deputy Assistant AG Omeed Assefi, who does not require Senate confirmation, replaced her as acting chief.

Key facts

Gail Slater, the Senate-confirmed head of the DOJ Antitrust Division, was forced out on February 12, 2026, effective immediately, after serving less than a year. The Senate had confirmed her 78-19 in March 2025. Omeed Assefi, her deputy for criminal enforcement, became acting AAG — a role that does not require Senate confirmation.

Slater's ouster happened while the DOJ was actively reviewing Netflix's $82.7 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's studios and HBO Max, and while Paramount had launched a competing $30-per-share hostile tender offer for the same company. The DOJ had already sent Netflix a second request for information, signaling serious antitrust scrutiny.

The Live Nation–Ticketmaster antitrust trial, brought by the DOJ and 40 state attorneys general, was scheduled to begin March 2, 2026 — less than three weeks after Slater's removal. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian had ruled that core monopoly claims against Live Nation would proceed to trial after denying Live Nation's motion to dismiss.

Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy AG Todd Blanche lost confidence in Slater after she recommended an in-depth review of Compass Inc.'s acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate — a recommendation the DOJ overruled, allowing the deal to close. An earlier dispute over Hewlett Packard Enterprise's purchase of Juniper Networks led DOJ leaders to fire Slater's two top deputies.

The HSR Act of 1976 requires companies planning large mergers to file with the DOJ and FTC and wait 30 days before closing. If the government issues a second request for documents, the waiting period restarts. Paramount told lawmakers its HSR waiting period had expired on February 19, 2026 — but Netflix's chief legal officer noted that routine HSR milestones do not signal DOJ approval.