With Congress out, Bush puts 2 on FTC

Majoras named chair; Leibowitz joins commissioners

By SUSAN CRABTREE

Majoras

WASHINGTON -- President Bush pulled a fast one late last week as Democrats were still nursing their convention hangovers.

Late Friday Bush announced his intention to make 20 appointments during the August congressional recess, including two key posts at the Federal Trade Commission.

Move bypasses the need for Senate confirmation of the candidates; nominees' paperwork should be processed by Aug. 16.

Bush tapped Deborah Majoras to replace FTC chair Timothy Muris, who is stepping down after three years. Majoras, a former deputy assistant attorney general, was one of the lead attorneys in the Justice Dept.'s antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft.

Majoras' nomination, long fought by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), was paired with that of Jon Leibowitz, currently veep for congressional affairs at the Motion Picture Assn. of America. The nomination of Leibowitz, who was named to replace Mozelle Thompson as one of five FTC commissioners, will now go through along with that of Majoras.

For months, Wyden (had tried to block Majoras' nomination in the Senate, arguing she had not adequately responded to questions about how she would deal with oil companies' influence on rising gas prices as the new FTC chieftain.

Leibowitz's selection drew far less criticism, although in the last few weeks two watchdog groups complained that his MPAA post made him too close to big media to become an impartial commissioner overseeing media mergers. Leibowitz's nomination, however, had strong bipartisan support in the Senate and could have easily sailed through the normal Senate confirmation process, Senate sources on both sides of the aisle said.

Reacting to the recess appointment, MPAA topper Jack Valenti called Leibowitz "a high caliber intellect who will bring great distinction to the commission."

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)