FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan by Tom Williams is licensed under Getty
During her tenure as the nation’s top antitrust cop, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under Chair Lina Khan has been mired by internal agency dysfunction, devastating legal failures, and a strong partisan slant that has harmed businesses and consumers alike. However, while FTC crises come at a dime a dozen, Chair Khan has recently prioritized her career ambitions over good agency housekeeping.
In a letter released on Tuesday, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability continued its investigation into the politicization of the FTC, pressing Chair Khan on her recent “partisan political activities with numerous Democrat congressional candidates”, which have undermined the agency’s “independence and its mission to protect American consumers regardless of partisan affiliation.”
Americans for Tax Reform applauds the House Oversight committee for its relentless pursuit of transparency and accountability within the FTC.
Instead of confronting her numerous leadership failures, Khan has recently chosen to hit the campaign trail with a number of prominent Democrats in a bid to strengthen her own job security. In his letter to Khan, Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) argued that this hiatus has diminished “the FTC’s reputation under your leadership and raises serious questions concerning whether you have complied with legal and ethical standards.” While Khan proselytizes on the boogeyman of “corporate power” with activist lawmakers, everyday Americans suffer under an FTC that has prioritized partisan political ambitions over consumer welfare.
Last week proved to be a whirlwind for Khan, who first appeared alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) to lament about “corporate power” and “worker freedom” with Texas labor leaders. This was followed by a Thursday appearance with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) at an event hosted by a Chicago chapter of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union. And lastly, Khan headed to Arizona on Friday to supplement Rep. Ruben Gallego’s (D-Ariz.) bid for the Senate. While a busy week, this is not the first time that Khan has consorted with activist lawmakers. In previous months, Khan has stumped for a number of prominent Democrat lawmakers, visiting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) in their respective states.
While the FTC flounders under the weight of devastating legal failures, plummeting staff morale, and divisive partisan bias, Khan’s campaign hiatus is a strong indictment of her failed leadership. Chairman Comer echoed this sentiment, insisting that Khan has “consistently demonstrated [her] disregard for ethical norms and willingness to serve as a political tool of the Biden-Harris Administration.” In addition to her recent stumping, Khan’s national reputation has received a facelift through fluff pieces on The Daily Show and CBS’s 60 Minutes. This slew of softball press has allowed Khan to mold herself into a celebrity regulator, preaching the misguided virtues of “hipster antitrust” to the American public while the FTC crumbles in her absence.
While Khan seeks to fortify her own future, her dereliction of duty has left the FTC for dead. Even before she hit the campaign trail, Khan’s countless leadership failures had already turned the agency into a shell of its former self. By squandering millions of taxpayers dollars on activist legal campaigns, Khan subjected her agency staff to unprecedented levels of alienation and burnout. While 87% of FTC employees believed that senior agency leadership “maintained high levels of integrity and honesty” prior to Khan’s tenure, this figure dropped by 40% by 2022. Now, with Khan busy running the campaign circuit, this historic level of agency dysfunction can only be expected to worsen.
Instead of subsidizing the campaigns of activist lawmakers, Khan should consider returning to her post and righting the countless wrongs she has created for the FTC. As Chairman Comer concluded, Khan should be “working to protect the American consumer instead of abusing taxpayer time and resources.” Unfortunately, “as an advocate for the Biden-Harris Administration and a campaign prop for Democrat congressional candidates”, Khan has prioritized personal ambition over general consumer welfare.
Americans for Tax Reform applauds the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability for spotlighting Chair Khan’s partisan galavanting.
Click here to read the full letter.