- Jim Jordan, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has set an April 10 deadline for the Biden-nominated Federal Trade Committee Chairman to deliver documents related to the FTC’s approach to corporate mergers and acquisitions. .
- Jordan, who has been applauded by his fellow Republicans, is coming under fire from House Democrats for hindering the agency’s work.
- The Republican lawmaker also demanded that the FTC release information detailing its ongoing investigation into Twitter’s privacy and data security policies and new CEO Elon Musk’s purchase of the platform.
Representative jim jordanthe chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, set a strict deadline for the Federal Trade Committee President Lina Khan deliver documents related to the FTC’s approach to corporate mergers and acquisitions.
On Thursday, Jordan told Khan he had until April 10 to respond to his request or face a subpoena from his committee. She had previously asked Khan to turn in the records by March 9, but the Republican said she missed the first deadline.
Home republicans have vowed to hold Khan accountable since Christine Wilson, who was the only Republican female commissioner on the FTC, wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal in February announcing that he would resign for the leadership of the Democratic presidency. His resignation took effect last Friday.
Wilson, a Trump candidate, accused Khan of aggressively trying to transform the FTC since taking office in June 2021, calling it an “abuse of power.” In particular, she criticized the lawsuit the FTC filed last summer to block tech giant metaThe merger with Within, a maker of virtual reality apps.
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In the new letter, Jordan renewed his concern that Khan has “abandoned… free market principles” under his M&A approach. An FTC spokesperson said news week that the agency had received his request, but declined to comment further.
Jordan spokesman Russell Dye told FedScoop that the president was particularly concerned that the first deadline was missed last month because the FTC is historically among the most responsive agencies when it comes to responding to questions and requests for Congress.
“It certainly raises serious concerns when they are being so obstructionist,” Dye said, adding that Jordan was seriously considering issuing a subpoena to get his hands on the documents.
Jordan was applauded by fellow Republicans who support his tougher approach to Khan. Texas Rep. Nathaniel Moran, who was among the six House Republicans who wrote the March letter to Khan, told the outlet that he appreciated that Jordan is “building on our previous efforts to demand transparency for the American people and continue to press President Lina Khan on this.” important issue.”
Home democrats have criticized their Republican counterparts for going after the FTC, arguing that these requests are hampering the agency’s work. In a statement sent to FedScoop, Rep. David Cicilline, who has defended Khan in the past and said he would “help restore competition and anti-competitive behavior,” urged Republicans to consider other legislative proposals that address their concerns about competition. .
Jordan, with the help of the Texas Senator ted crossalso demanded that Khan release information detailing his ongoing investigation into Twitterthe privacy and data security policies, as well as the purchase of the platform by the new CEO Elon Musk.
Documents obtained by He New York Times He revealed last week that Musk had asked to meet with Khan late last year but was turned down in a Jan. 27 letter citing the FTC’s focus on meeting investigators on Musk.