US: Trump to nominate Joseph Simons to lead FTC

President Trump’s top choice for Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chairman is Joseph Simons of Paul Weiss, a Washington lawyer who served in the George W. Bush administration, according to Bloomberg, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

As FTC chairman, Simons would play a crucial role in the agency’s review of Amazon.com Inc.’s proposed takeover of Whole Foods Market and the FTC’s lawsuit against Qualcomm for allegedly abusing its monopoly in the market for smartphone chips.

Trump has three seats to fill out of five. In the running for a Republican seat are Noah Phillips, chief counsel for Sen. John Cornyn, and Christine Wilson, in-house lawyer for Delta Air Lines. Bloomberg reported that Rohit Chapra is under consideration for a Democratic seat.

Trump is expected to make the nomination in early September, the person said, just after the agency’s initial review of Amazon-Whole Foods is set to expire.

Full Content: Bloomberg

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