WASHINGTON—The new head of the Justice Department Antitrust Division, Jonathan Kanter, said on Monday the government should seek to stop proposed mergers which pose anticompetitive concerns rather than striking deals for asset sales or other concessions that would allow the transaction to close.
“In my view, when the division concludes that a merger is likely to lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly, in most situations, we should seek a simple injunction to block the transaction,” said Kanter, who was confirmed in November and is one of three progressives named to top U.S. antitrust posts.
