By Aruna Viswanatha
WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department
on Friday named a new acting head of its antitrust division as
it waits for the Senate to vote on the stalled nomination of
William Baer for that post.
Attorney General Eric Holder named Renata Hesse, a deputy in
the division, to lead it in an acting capacity.
"Renata is a veteran antitrust lawyer who will lead the
Antitrust Division during this time of transition on its mission
to vigorously and effectively enforce the antitrust laws,"
Holder said in a statement.
The announcement comes on the day the previous acting head
of the division, Joseph Wayland, left the department.
The stalled nomination of Baer to be antitrust chief may
move forward in the coming weeks, Reuters reported last week.
The nomination has been held up by still-secret information
contained in an FBI background report.
After a stint in private practice, Hesse re-joined the
department in March as a special advisor for civil enforcement,
then as deputy assistant attorney general.
She previously worked in the Justice Department's antitrust
division as a staff attorney in its merger task force, in its
transportation, energy and agriculture section, and as chief of
its networks and technology enforcement section.
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