Washington DC - The head of the Justice Department's antitrust division, Gail Slater, resigned on Thursday amid internal turmoil at her department and reports that cases were being undermined by White House-connected lobbyists.

Slater, who was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2025, announced her departure on the social media platform X, saying it was "with great sadness and abiding hope" that she was leaving.

The departure leaves the antitrust division with virtually no senior leadership. The division's number two official quit earlier this week to return to private practice.

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The resignation comes at a critical juncture for one of her most high-profile antitrust cases.

The Justice Department, along with 40 states, is set to go to trial in March against Live Nation Entertainment in a bid to force the company to divest its ticketing arm, Ticketmaster.

The case, originally filed in May 2024 under the Biden administration, alleges that Live Nation operates an illegal monopoly over the live entertainment industry, locking venues into exclusive contracts and retaliating against those that use rival ticketing services.

News outlet Semafor reported last week that Live Nation executives and lobbyists had been negotiating directly with senior DOJ officials outside the antitrust division, effectively bypassing Slater.

In another case, reports said a merger of real-estate brokerages was approved over the objections of Slater, raising questions about whether the White House was offering pay-for-play merger approvals.

In another setback last year, her team's efforts to challenge the $14 billion Hewlett Packard Enterprise acquisition of Juniper Networks were overruled by senior DOJ officials after direct lobbying by Trump-connected operatives.

Two of Slater's deputies were subsequently fired for insubordination after resisting the settlement.

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Similar concerns surround the battle for Warner Bros. Discovery, in which Netflix has agreed an $83 billion deal while Paramount Skydance is mounting a rival hostile bid valued at $108 billion, largely financed by Trump ally Larry Ellison.

One of those officials has warned that companies facing antitrust scrutiny have increasingly hired Trump-connected lobbyists to influence case outcomes.

Slater previously served as a policy adviser to Vice President JD Vance during the 2024 presidential campaign and advised Trump's transition team on antitrust matters.

"This is a damn shame. Gail is one of the most honest and competent people in this administration, and someone who believes in real antitrust enforcement," said Gigi Sohn of the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy.