Republicans mock FTC Chair on antitrust and ethics, while Democrats come to their defense

Democrats stood by Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan as she endured hours of questioning before the House Judiciary Committee, with Republicans criticizing her and describing her tenure at the antitrust agency as “a disaster.”

Republicans accused Khan of mismanaging the agency, misleading Congress, pursuing politically motivated antitrust actions, and withholding requested information from the committee. They claimed that Khan fostered a system of unchecked power over business practices in the country.

Khan defended her agency’s mission to promote competition and its ambitious legal approach to antitrust enforcement. She stated that vigorous antitrust enforcement is crucial for economic growth, prosperity, and liberty, illustrating how market consolidation and decreased competition harm Americans.

Throughout the hearing, Democrats, who have largely supported the FTC’s efforts to block corporate mergers, provided support for Khan.

In his opening statement, ranking member Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) praised the FTC for returning over $430 million to consumers and warned Khan about misleading attacks from Republicans.

Republicans criticized Khan’s participation in a case against Meta Platforms Inc., despite an internal ethics recommendation for her to recuse herself. They also accused her of providing misleading testimony about her decision. Khan refuted the allegation, clarifying that she had no financial stake in any company under investigation by the FTC.

While Republicans have criticized Big Tech for censoring conservative voices, they accused Khan of “harassing” Twitter during the hearing. The FTC was investigating Twitter’s data security and privacy practices, and the House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Khan over the investigation.

Flashback: Democrats blast GOP for ‘wasting our time’ in hearing over ‘Twitter Files.’

Twitter filed a motion in court to terminate an FTC order restricting its data security practices, claiming bias and an investigation that had spiraled out of control.

Khan argued that consolidation in the tech industry could harm consumers and contribute to the censorship concerns raised by Republicans.

The FTC has recently suffered legal losses, including a ruling allowing Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard. The FTC plans to appeal the ruling.

Liz Zelnick, director of economic security and corporate power at Accountable.US, criticized the hearing as unproductive, with Republicans focusing on non-issues instead of the FTC’s actions to protect families from deceptive practices and consolidation of corporate power.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce demanded answers from Khan ahead of the hearing, expressing concerns about the regulatory approach under her leadership.

Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) informed Khan that the House Appropriations Committee was considering a 25% budget reduction for the agency due to perceived partisanship.

Early tensions arose in the hearing when Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) told a Republican lawmaker who interrupted his time to “shut up.”

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) objected to Rep. Hank Johnson’s (D-Ga.) comments implying that Khan, a British-born American with Pakistani parents, faced intense scrutiny due to her ethnicity.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) proposed collaboration between the FTC and Congress to strengthen laws preventing data brokers from selling sensitive data. He emphasized the importance of addressing issues that directly impact constituents’ lives.