And observers say James isn't fond of vertical antitrust. That would set him apart from the Clinton Justice Department, which challenged such mergers with an unprecedented abandon. Vertical mergers link firms operating along the same supply chain. The FTC blocked that merger under Clinton. That case broke new ground for antitrust actions.
Most antitrust cases involve horizontal mergers or price fixing.
Horizontal mergers are pairings of companies in the same industry. For instance, Office Depot and Staples, which the FTC also blocked under Clinton. But the Clinton trustbusters didn't shy away from either type. In fact, they took on 12 times as many vertical cases as the Reagan and first Bush administrations combined. And neither of those administrations ever brought a vertical case into court.