GOP investigates potential power abuse at Biden’s FTC.

House Oversight Committee Launches Probe into FTC Chair Lina Khan’s Management

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The House Oversight Committee’s Chairman James Comer opened a probe Thursday into U.S. Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan’s management of the agency, citing complaints of abuse of power.

Khan has been pushing the FTC to be more aggressive in investigations and law enforcement, which has angered companies and trade groups like the Chamber of Commerce. This has led to a probe being launched by the House Oversight Committee into her management of the agency.

Former Commissioner’s Complaints

In a letter to Khan and agency officials dated Thursday, Comer cited complaints made by former commissioner Christine Wilson, a Republican. Wilson accused Khan of abuse of power by voting to challenge Meta’s acquisition of virtual reality content maker Within. Wilson argued that Khan had said before coming to the FTC that Meta should be barred from making additional acquisitions, and that this meant Khan should be recused from FTC deliberations regarding the deal.

The FTC lost a court fight aimed at stopping that transaction and the deal went forward.

“We are concerned that the developments at the Commission cataloged by Commissioner Wilson and others could undermine consumers’ and markets’ confidence in the Commission’s ability to perform its functions effectively and with integrity,” Comer wrote in the letter.

FTC’s Response

“Under Chair Khan, the FTC is proud to be defending American consumers from harm and ensuring fair competition in the economy. We look forward to working with Congress to dispel former Commissioner Wilson’s imaginative allegations,” FTC spokesperson Douglas Farrar said in an email.

Documents Requested

The committee asked for documents related to the probe, including unredacted documents related to whether Khan should recuse herself from discussions about Meta’s plan to buy Within as well as discussions about the use of delay in order to deter or prevent corporate mergers.

• House Oversight Committee launched a probe into FTC Chair Lina Khan’s management of the agency
• Khan has been pushing the FTC to be more aggressive in investigations and law enforcement
• Former commissioner Christine Wilson accused Khan of abuse of power
• The FTC lost a court fight aimed at stopping Meta’s acquisition of Within
• The committee asked for documents related to the probe

Published under: FTC