Big tech lobbyists are pushing hard to get Makan Delrahim into the next Trump administration, despite his shaky record at the Department of Justice, sources told The Post.
Delrahim, who was supposed to crack down on big tech in Trump’s first term as head of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, slow-walked what was set up to be a huge case against Google, former staffers told The Post.
In fact, Delrahim dragged his heels with the case and then recused himself in 2019, as it emerged he had previously represented Google in a case.
That lead then-Attorney General Bill Barr to bring outsider Ryan Shores in to oversee the antitrust case, multiple sources told The Post.
Of Delrahim, Barr said: “I was not happy with slow pace and brought in Shores to supervise.”
Another source pointed out: “Delrahim only recused himself after working on the case for months,” which added to the delays in the case.
Despite allegedly derailing key investigations, Delrahim is still under consideration for roles including the Federal Trade Commission chair, Semafor was first to report.
“Pro-Big Tech forces are clearly trying to push his name to the Transition, and it is a full court press to get him considered,” one source with direct knowledge told The Post.
Other sources are more wary, warning a possible appointment either to the Federal Trade Commission or even his old job at the DOJ could undermine Trump’s ambitious agenda when he takes office in January.
“He is not MAGA, but rather a Google shill. He would be the perfect FTC Chair for Mitt Romney, not Donald Trump,” a source close to Trump told The Post.
Exemplifying how they see Delrahim’s ideological stance as out of step with Trump’s and how he may be influenced by institutional forces, the source added: “If he was able, Makan would’ve joined the national security officials who censored the Hunter Biden laptop.”
Barr allowed Delrahim to recuse himself from the case — despite the fact that he’d already been working on it for nearly a year — in what was seen as a face-saving measure.
“Others in the DOJ knew Makan would never bring the Google case because he was too worried about [how he’d be seen when] returning to private practice,” one former staffer told The Post.
“It is highly unusual that the head of antitrust wouldn’t be in charge of the biggest case of the entire Trump presidency,” another former staffer said.
Even though Delrahim may be angling for a job at the FTC, others add he would also be open to taking his old job back, too.
“He’s desperate for relevance,” another source added. Former staffers added nabbing a place in the administration would be an important stepping stone to further power.
Delrahim did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
After leaving the Trump Administration in 2020, Delrahim nabbed a top job at Latham & Watkins as a partner advising in the mergers and acquisition department.
The antitrust case against Google was filed in October 2020 and concluded in August with a judge ruling the company held a monopoly on internet searches. The penalty phase of the trial is still ongoing.