Antitrust warrior picks battle with ‘alt-left’ activists

Posted by Antitrust on Bloomberg Law

Antitrust Warrior Picks Battle With ‘Alt-Left’ Activists

By Alexei Alexis

Competition advocate Diana Moss has taken on a number of big corporate mergers, but as president of the American Antitrust Institute, she now sees a new threat emerging — a more populist version of the cause she’s been championing for years.

Other consumer advocates are weighing in, saying antitrust law needs to fundamentally change to give regulators more leeway to stop certain deals, such as Amazon.com’s now-consummated tie-up with Whole Foods Market. “It goes without saying that competition should absolutely be at the top of the national radar screen, and it is,” Moss told Bloomberg BNA in an interview. “I think everyone understands how important it is. But we do risk really sucking resources away from progressive enforcement by talking about overhauling things.”

Moss, an antitrust veteran, takes a more measured approach. She says the “alt-left” competition movement, as she calls it, is distracting Congress and the White House from a serious antitrust policy debate. “This is a not a time where wholesale reform of the antitrust laws is in order,” Moss said. “It will take up significant energy and time, and I don’t think it will go anywhere.”

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