Anne K. Bingaman, the most aggressive antitrust enforcer in more than 15 years, announced plans Thursday to leave government this fall to return to the private sector.
In a letter to Atty. Gen. Janet Reno, Bingaman said she would step down as assistant attorney general in charge of the antitrust division no later than Nov. 15 “for purely personal reasons.”
Bingaman, 53, was best known for plunging into a case against Microsoft Corp. after the Federal Trade Commission had deadlocked over whether to pursue a monopoly action. The Justice Department settled the case when the company agreed to change the terms under which PC makers can install its software in their machines.
Prior to the agreement, Microsoft extracted payments from PC makers even when they used operating systems from other companies.
Bingaman’s husband, Jeff, is a Democratic senator from New Mexico.
