Washington--President Barack Obama announced Thursday that he intends
to nominate former Federal Trade Commissioner Christine Varney, an expert in
Internet regulation, to serve as the Department of Justice's top antitrust law
enforcer.
In her new job as chief of the
Antitrust Division, Varney will have a key role in reviewing any large cable
company merger. The Antitrust Division's last big cable transaction came in
2006 when Comcast and Time Warner Cable acquired bankrupt Adelphia
Communications.
Obama announced Varney's selection
along with the names of other individuals he intends to serve in top
positions at DOJ.
"I am grateful to have these distinguished
individuals joining my administration, and I have the greatest confidence that
their service will meet the highest standards of this department," Obama
said.
Varney is partner at Hogan &
Hartson, heading the firm's Internet practice group. She was an FTC member
from 1994 to 1997, appointed by President Bill Clinton.
