Adam Candeub confirmation hearing puts Google and Apple antitrust cases in focus
A Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday placed the Justice Department's most consequential technology antitrust cases before lawmakers, with Adam Candeub testifying for the post of Antitrust Division chief. If…
Key takeaways
- Adam Candeub testified at a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday for the post of Justice Department Antitrust Division chief.
- If confirmed, Candeub would control the DOJ's ongoing antitrust lawsuits against Google over online search dominance and Apple over its App Store rules for developers.
- Candeub's record shows he views concentrated technology power as a genuine problem, having told Congress in March 2023 that Big Tech's market power 'undermines our Nation's culture of vibrant democratic deliberation.'
- Former Attorney General Bill Barr, who appointed Candeub in 2020, called him 'balanced and fair' and joined more than a dozen current and former DOJ officials in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee backing the nomination.
- A Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Candeub's nomination is the next confirmable step for the cases against Google and Apple.
A Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday placed the Justice Department's most consequential technology antitrust cases before lawmakers, with Adam Candeub testifying for the post of Antitrust Division chief. If confirmed, Candeub would control ongoing DOJ lawsuits targeting Google (GOOGL) in online search and Apple (AAPL) over App Store rules for developers. How aggressively those cases move forward may depend on the Senate Judiciary Committee's decision on his nomination.
The cases on the table
The two lawsuits Candeub would inherit represent some of the most significant antitrust actions against technology companies in decades. The Google case centers on the company's dominance in online search. The Apple case targets the company's control over its App Store and the terms it sets for developers. Candeub would decide whether to press those cases with the same intensity as the current DOJ posture or change course.
His record suggests he views concentrated technology power as a genuine problem. Candeub testified before Congress in March 2023 that Big Tech's market power "undermines our Nation's culture of vibrant democratic deliberation," and warned that the power to exclude certain groups from political discourse is a threat to all Americans. He has also pushed for changes to Section 230, the federal law shielding online platforms from liability for user-posted content. He worked to narrow those protections during his time at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration under the first Trump administration.
Candeub's background and support
A telecommunications law scholar and former Federal Communications Commission general counsel, Candeub has also served in the Office of the Associate Deputy Attorney General. Former Attorney General Bill Barr, who appointed Candeub to that office in 2020, described him to Fox News Digital as "balanced and fair" and someone who would "apply the law." Barr joined more than a dozen current and former Justice Department officials in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee backing the nomination.
That letter cited Candeub's experience at the FCC, the NTIA, the Office of the Associate Attorney General, and his academic work as a law professor at Michigan State University. Candeub also contributed to Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation policy blueprint, where he argued antitrust enforcement had historically failed to account for technology platforms' influence over competition and information flow.
What to watch
Sen. Dick Durbin said he met with Candeub ahead of the hearing to discuss merger reviews, Section 230 reform, and protecting children online. A committee vote on Candeub's nomination is the next confirmable step for the cases against Google and Apple.
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Filed via foxnews.com