Bush maneuvers new FTC head into place

A recess appointment puts Deborah Majoras in place as chairman of the FTC until the end of 2005.

Declan McCullagh Former Senior Writer

Declan McCullagh is the chief political correspondent for CNET. You can e-mail him or follow him on Twitter as declanm. Declan previously was a reporter for Time and the Washington bureau chief for Wired and wrote the Taking Liberties section and Other People's Money column for CBS News' Web site.

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Declan McCullagh

Aug. 2, 2004 10:56 a.m. PT

President George W. Bush has said he will grant Deborah Majoras a recess appointment as chairman of the Federal Trade Commission until the end of 2005. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has blocked Majoras' nomination for full leadership of the agency from coming to a vote in the Senate because he claimed the former prosecutor would not bring down gas prices in the western states.

Bush on Friday also granted recess appointments, which the U.S. Constitution permits when Congress is out of session, to Jon Leibowitz (to be an FTC commissioner) and Jonathan Dudas (to be the head of the Patent and Trademark Office). Dudas, nominated by Bush in March but not confirmed by the Senate, has been acting director of the patent office since James Rogan left last year.