President Trump has announced an additional nominee for the Federal Trade Commission, naming Christine Wilson to fill the remaining Republican seat. Ms. Wilson currently serves as a Senior Vice President at Delta Airlines, focusing on regulatory and international issues. Prior to joining Delta, Ms. Wilson was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and O’Melveny & Myers LLP, specializing in antitrust law and policy. Wilson also served as the Chief of Staff to Tim Muris, the FTC Chair from 2001-2004.

While in private practice, Ms. Wilson counseled companies regarding antitrust compliance issues, advised on merger-related competition concerns, and represented clients before the FTC, the DOJ, and the European Commission. Notably, she acted as lead counsel for Northwest Airlines in its 2008 merger with Delta, a transaction valued at approximately $2.7 billion. 

President Trump previously announced his intent to nominate Joseph Simons (Republican) for FTC Chair, as well as Noah Phillips (Republican) and Rohit Chopra (Democrat) for Commissioner seats. The President is expected to formally nominate all four candidates in the coming weeks. These nominations will fill 4 of the 5 Commission seats. The remaining seat must be filled by either a Democrat or an Independent.

Acting Chair Maureen Ohlhausen has been nominated to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and will be vacating her position. Commissioner Terrell McSweeny is expected to leave the agency when her replacement arrives, as her term expired September 25, 2017.

[View source.]