Deals
Trump Favors Outside Candidate Simons to Lead FTC
- Joseph Simons of Paul Weiss worked at FTC under George W. Bush
- Cornyn aide, Delta lawyer also under consideration for agency
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President Donald Trump is poised to nominate a longtime antitrust attorney as chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, bypassing its acting Republican leader in favor of an outside candidate.
Trump’s leading choice for the post is Washington lawyer Joseph Simons, a partner at the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, according to three people 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 Inc. and its lawsuit against Qualcomm Inc. for allegedly abusing its monopoly in the market for smartphone chips.