THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

       PRESIDENT NAMES ROBERT PITOFSKY TO HEAD FEDERAL TRADE 
                            COMMISSION

The President today announced that he has nominated Robert Pitofsky, of Maryland, as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission.

Mr. Pitofsky is Of Counsel to the law firm of Arnold and Porter and a Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center. He previously served at the Federal Trade Commission as both a Commissioner, from 1978-1981, and as Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, from 1970-1973. Mr. Pitofsky's publications include legal casebooks on both trade regulation and antitrust law.

Mr. Pitofsky received a bachelor of arts degree from New York University and an L.L.B. from Columbia School of Law.

The Federal Trade Commission is responsible for enforcing competition and consumer protection throughout virtually the entire economy. Three bureaus of the Commission support its mission: the Bureau of Consumer Protection is responsible for protecting consumers against unfair, deceptive or fraudulent practices; the Bureau of Competition, the Commission's antitrust arm, seeks to prevent business practices that restrain competition; and the Bureau of Economics helps to ensure that the Commission considers the economic impact of its actions. The Commission works closely with the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department.

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