Discussion

• @karlbode.com Karl Bode on bluesky

  Trump's just over here “continuing the monopoly busting legacy forged by antitrust enforcer Lina Khan”

• @scottwiener Senator Scott Wiener on bluesky

  Truly the most corrupt President in U.S. history.  —  FTC Commissioners are charged with protecting consumers from corporate fraud & monopolies.  Trump has no authority to fire them.  He's doing so to carry water for his corporate donors.  —  Just straight up corruption in violat…

• @aaronhuertas Aaron Huertas on bluesky

  Grossly illegal and unconstitutional.  That said, I wonder mechanically if they're waiting for higher profile folks to be out of the office before they “fire” / purge them, so it's a matter of shutting off key cards and remote access.  —  www.theverge.com/news/632267/ ...

• @laurenfeiner Lauren Feiner on bluesky

  The FTC's two remaining Democratic commissioners say they were “illegally fired” today by the President.  Republicans would soon have a majority over the agency anyway, but it's a clear show of force over the independent agency — one apparently endorsed by its chair. www.theverge…

• @evacide @evacide on bluesky

  Trump just tried to fire FTC Commissioner @bedoyaftc.bsky.social, whose response was “I'll see you in court.”  —  www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

• @sarahjeong Sarah Jeong on bluesky

  I can't believe we're gonna relitigate humphrey's executor. what's next. marbury v. madison? www.theverge.com/news/632267/ ...

• @nycsouthpaw @nycsouthpaw on bluesky

  I appreciate a lot of this, but I wish federal officials who have not been legally terminated would say so and then remain in their posts, rather than executing this shift to the past tense.  [embedded post]

• @martingaynor Martin Gaynor on bluesky

  Trump fires both Democratic commissioners at the #FTC.  Clearly contrary to the intent of the FTC being an independent agency.  We're well on our way to being ruled by an autocratic, authoritarian regime.  This has to be stopped.  —  www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

• @repdangoldman Rep. Dan Goldman on bluesky

  Another day, another clear example of rampant corruption by Trump.  —  He's firing Democratic Commissioners at the independent watchdog agency that protects consumers & workers, and holds corporate America accountable.  —  Yet again, he's letting his billionaire buddies rig the g…

• @justinlevitt Justin Levitt on bluesky

  This should be one of the easiest summary judgment decisions yet.

• @kint Jason Kint on bluesky

  The DC Judge (Boasberg) being threatened by Trump lived at Yale with Justice Kavanaugh who is best buds with Joel Kaplan at Meta who will be in front of Judge Boasberg 4/14 to defend Meta against FTC who wants to break them up.  —  Oh, Trump just (illegally?) fired half the FTC (…

• @makenakelly Makena Kelly on bluesky

  A couple hours ago, the FTC was deleting hundreds of blog posts.  Now, Trump is seemingly trying to delete Democratic commissioners.  —  Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya just posted this statement to X.  [embedded post]

• @karlbode.com Karl Bode on bluesky

  apparently having a 3-2 voting majority while neutering all regulatory authority, corporate oversight, and consumer protection in the courts isn't enough, they want to salt the earth where semi-functional federal governance once stood  —  absolutely wild

• @bedoyaftc Alvaro Bedoya on x

  I am a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission. The president just illegally fired me. This is corruption plain and simple. My full statement: [image]

• @afergusonftc Andrew Ferguson on x

  [Image: Statement of Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson...President Donald J. Trump is the head of the executive branch and is vested with all of the executive power in our government.  I have no doubts about his constitutional authority to remove Commissioners, which is necessary to en…

• @bedoyaftc Alvaro Bedoya on x

  These are the questions to ask about the president's attempt to illegally fire me [video]

• @bedoyaftc Alvaro Bedoya on x

  *tried to illegally fire me. I'll see the president in court.

• @adamkovac Adam Kovacevich on x

  I predict that removing minority commissioners and making the FTC just another executive branch agency is going to be like “getting rid of the filibuster” - an idea that seems great when you're party is in the majority, that you'd come to regret when in the minority.

• @adamkovac Adam Kovacevich on x

  Presumably the FCC and SEC are next. The Trump Admin's fondest hope is that Bedoya, Slaughter or others bring a lawsuit and that this leads to SCOTUS overturning Humphrey's Executor.

• @irvingswisher Skanda Amarnath on x

  Potentially big implications for Fed independence If you take SCOTUS' summer 2020 opinion in Seila Law vs CFPB at face value, FTC should be among agencies whose leadership can't be fired by POTUS at will If that rule no longer holds, why can't Trump fire the Fed chair?

• @viacristiano Cristiano Lima-Strong on x

  FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson, who had already said he thinks POTUS has power to fire commissioners at his agency, issues statement saying he has “no doubts” about constitutionality of Trump's dismissal of Bedoya and Slaughter

• @ewwilkins Elizabeth Wilkins on x

  Independent regulatory agencies are essential to checking the power of concentrated wealth. I know, I worked at @FTC and saw first hand the deployment of expertise to shape markets to the public good. Neutering them is a play to let the wealthy rig the economy with impunity.

• @justinbrookman Justin Brookman on x

  “Any Commissioner may be removed by the President for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” 15 U.S.C. § 41. The President can't remove a Commissioner just because they don't like them! Humphrey's Executor, 295 U.S. 602 (1935).

• @leehepner Lee Hepner on x

  Relevant passage of the applicable century-old SCOTUS decision that created the modern independent administrative state: [image]

• @leehepner Lee Hepner on x

  To be abundantly clear, they are still Commissioners. Trump can say whatever he wants, but he doesn't get to defy Congress and the Supreme Court.

• @leehepner Lee Hepner on x

  Trump just fired Federal Trade Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter, the two Democrats on the 5-member independent commission. Blatant violation of Humphrey's Executor.

• @natpurser Nat Purser on x

  absolutely disgraceful. Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter are some of the most principled and thoughtful public officials we've got, true champions of consumers, workers, and fair markets.

• @openmarkets @openmarkets on x

  Statement from Barry Lynn on Trump's illegal, unconstitutional, garbage decision to try and fire FTC Commissioners Bedoya and Slaughter: [image]

• @helaineolen Helaine Olen on x

  It's blatantly illegal for Trump to fire FTC commissioners, but I'm sure the WSJ edit page will figure out a way to explain how it's really all Lina Khan's fault.

• @davidbmcgarry David McGarry on x

  The FTC's insulation from presidential control is an anti-constitutional fiction — irrespective of how you feel about any discrete policy questions.

• @swiftstories Mike Swift on x

  Unbelievable and unprecedented.

• @joshwright1977 Josh Wright on x

  Two FTC commissioners fired. Of course, it is neither illegal nor corrupt for the President to fire an FTC Commissioner. Humphrey's Executor will fall. But who knew it was going to be a class action?

• @corinne_podger Corinne Podger on x

  Astounding; but what worries me too is the plethora of “boo sucks” replies from anonymous but paid-for accounts, which dominate visible reponses. This is what Facebook will be like now Meta has dumped fact-checking for “Community Notes”. Convince me I'm wrong, @Trushar @mosseri

• @nhegde Nidhi Hegde on x

  Trump's illegal firing of FTC commissioners is a brazen giveaway to the wealthy and an attack on the agency's independence. This threatens democracy and empowers corporate interests at the expense of the American people. Comms Bedoya & Slaughter cannot be removed on a whim.

• @mmcassella Megan Cassella on x

  New: President Trump has fired the two Democratic commissioners at the FTC, per sources - confirming Reuters report earlier this hour on this. This leaves just two Republican commissioners currently seated on the 5-member commission.

• r/Economics r on reddit

  Trump fires both Democratic commissioners at FTC

• r/Law_and_Politics r on reddit

  Trump fires FTC's only two Democrats: ‘The President just illegally fired me’

• r/technology r on reddit

  Trump fires only two Democrats on FTC: ‘The President just illegally fired me’

• r/politics r on reddit

  Trump fires FTC's only two Democrats: ‘The President just illegally fired me’ |  Trump administration

• r/fednews r on reddit

  Trump fires both Democratic commissioners at FTC

• r/politics r on reddit

  Trump fires both Democratic commissioners at FTC

• @karlbode.com Karl Bode on bluesky

  but I was told repeatedly by matt stoller types that trump would “continue the legacy established by antitrust enforcer lina khan” [embedded post]

• @paleofuture Matt Novak on bluesky

  A couple weeks ago an advocacy group sent me a press release about how excited they were that Trump's picks were supposedly showing skepticism of Big Tech.  It took a lot of self restraint not to just send back an image of Lucy with the football.  [embedded post]

• @timmarchman Tim Marchman on bluesky

  NEW: Hundreds of FTC business-guidance blog posts, including ones critical of Big Tech firms and AI companies, have vanished from the FTC website—possibly in violation of federal records law.  This is by @makenakelly.bsky.social

• @mehdirhasan Mehdi Hasan on x

  Remember when some self-proclaimed ‘leftists’ pretended Trump and the GOP were going to take on Big Tech or back the populist work of Lina Khan's FTC? Well...

• @kellymakena Makena Kelly on x

  SCOOP: More than 300 FTC blogs published under FTC Chair Lina Khan disappeared this morning. They included posts critical of Amazon, Microsoft, and generative AI. https://www.wired.com/...

• @digitaldemoc @digitaldemoc on x

  Trump FTC under @AFergusonFTC erases key consumer protection info. He is afraid of the truth about impact of digital marketplace, inc AI, on the privacy & lives of Americans. “FTC Removes Posts Critical of Amazon, Microsoft, and AI Companies” https://www.wired.com/...

• @ericgeller Eric Geller on x

  “Removing blogs raises serious compliance concerns under the Federal Records Act and the Open Government Data Act, one former FTC official tells WIRED.”

• @wired @wired on x

  SCOOP: The FTC has removed content critical of Amazon, Microsoft, and AI companies published during the Biden administration from its website. https://www.wired.com/...

• r/technology r on reddit

  FTC Removes Posts Critical of Amazon, Microsoft, and AI Companies.  Business-guidance content published during the Biden administration has been removed from the Federal Trade Commission website.

• r/fednews r on reddit

  FTC Removes Posts Critical of Amazon, Microsoft, and AI Companies

• r/politics r on reddit

  FTC Removes Posts Critical of Amazon, Microsoft, and AI Companies

• r/technews r on reddit

  FTC Removes Posts Critical of Amazon, Microsoft, and AI Companies