The White House is preparing to nominate Adam Candeub, currently the General Counsel at the Federal Communications Commission, as the next head of the Department of Justice Antitrust Division. The pick would install a lawyer steeped in telecommunications regulation atop the unit responsible for some of the most consequential corporate enforcement actions in a generation.
Candeub would replace Gail Slater, who resigned from the role on February 12, 2026, after less than a year on the job. Omeed Assefi has been running the division on an acting basis since Slater’s departure.
A telecom insider with DOJ experience
Candeub is not new to the Trump orbit. During Trump’s first term, he served as Acting Assistant Secretary at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration from 2019 to 2021. He also held the title of Deputy Associate Attorney General at the DOJ during that same administration.
He moved into his current FCC general counsel role in February 2025. His background also includes contributions to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 report, which advocated for stricter oversight of online platforms.
