The largest commercial lobby group in United State Intensify its fight against Federal Trade Commission (FTC), by filing a lawsuit in an attempt to force the commission to publish reams of documents about its decision-making processes.
order from United States Chamber of Commercewhich he filed yesterday in District Court of Columbia, is seeking information from the agency on everything from votes made by outgoing commissioners to contacts with foreign regulators.
The lawsuit represents a new front in the increasingly hostile confrontation between chamber of commerce with the FTC and its chief, Lina Khanwhich promised to strengthen competition law enforcement in the United States and takeover big companies.
“The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is pursuing a robust agenda with far-reaching implications for America’s business and economy,” Susan Clark, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “It transcends the old rules of regulating large-scale industries and running our economy through the know-it-all approach of the government,” he added.
Since she was chosen to lead FTC by the President of the United States Joe BidenKhan has embarked on a comprehensive reorganization of the agency in order to address what he sees as unfair concentrations of corporate power across multiple sectors.
It has scrapped guidelines that made it difficult for regulators to prevent takeovers and is now rewriting the country’s merger guidelines along with Jonathan KanterDirector of Antitrust at the Ministry of Justice.
However, his reforms upset many in the business community, and in recent months in the Chamber of Commerce United State It was an outspoken criticism. in january, Clark He criticized what he called “modern-day confidence hunters” and vowed to fight “excesses” by the Trade Commission.
The lawsuit filed yesterday is seeking records FTC In a number of cases. The chamber of commerce She had already requested the documents under the Freedom of Information Act, but said the commission had blocked that so far.
The chamber of commerce Seeks Commission guidance on approving the voting of outgoing Commissioners. This has been a source of controversy ever since Rohit Chopraa former Democratic commissioner and close ally of Khan who left the organization in October last year to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), cast more than 20 votes on his last day in office, including a decisive vote in favor of issuing a new political declaration restricting some mergers.
The group is also seeking contacts between FTC and European regulators regarding biotech company Illumina’s $8 billion acquisition of cancer-detection startup Grail.
The Federal Trade Commission At first it tried to block the process, but then halted the process while the European Commission took its own action against the integration. Guild room charged FTC To cooperate with their European peers to help them with their condition.
finally , chamber of commerce Find also details about the previous job of the head of the FTC, Lina Khanwhen she worked on the committee as a “legal investigator” in Rohit Chopra. The agency, in its lawsuit, called the deal “extremely unusual.”
The Federal Trade Commission There was no comment on that.
