Last Remaining GOP Federal Trade Commissioner Resigns, Accuses Chair of Abusing Power

Federal Trade Commission seal is seen at a news conference at FTC headquarters in Washington, on July 24, 2019. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)

Christine Wilson, the only remaining Republican on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), announced Tuesday that she will resign over her opposition to the agency’s progressive leadership.

In an opinion published in the Wall Street Journal, Wilson listed reasons why she could no longer work with the Democratic majority. She specifically accused FTC chair Lina Khan of abusing power and “undermining the commission structure that Congress wrote into law.”

“Much ink has been spilled about Lina Khan’s attempts to remake federal antitrust law as chairman of the Federal Trade Commission,” Wilson wrote. “I have failed repeatedly to persuade Ms. Khan and her enablers to do the right thing, and I refuse to give their endeavor any further hint of legitimacy by remaining.”

The resignation comes as the FTC launched antitrust campaigns targeting big companies like Lockheed Martin and Meta. It is also widely reported that FTC is intensifying an antitrust investigation into Amazon over the online retail giant’s alleged anti-competitive business practices.

Wilson particularly took issue with the role Khan played in the FTC’s recent failed attempt to prevent Meta from buying Within, a California company that develops augmented reality and virtual reality products. She claimed that this is due to Khan’s refusal to recuse herself from all cases involving Meta.

A file image of then FTC Commissioner nominee Lina M. Khan testifying during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee nomination hearing in Washington on April 21, 2021. (Graeme Jennings/Pool/Getty Images)

Since President Joe Biden named Khan to the FTC in June 2021, Amazon and Meta have argued that she is too biased against them to properly handle their cases, citing Khan’s prior public statements and academic works as evidence.

“Before joining the FTC, Ms. Khan argued that Meta should be blocked from making any future acquisitions and wrote a report on the same issues as a congressional staffer,” Wilson said. “She would now sit as a purportedly impartial judge and decide whether Meta can acquire Within.”

“My Democratic colleagues on the commission affirmed Ms. Khan’s decision not to recuse herself,” she added.

Khan released a joint statement with FTC commissioners Rebecca K. Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya on Tuesday addressing Wilson’s departure but didn’t respond to any criticism.

“While we often disagreed with Commissioner Wilson, we respect her devotion to her beliefs and are grateful for her public service. We wish her well in her next endeavor,” they said.

During his first term in the White House, President Donald Trump appointed three Republicans to the five-member agency: Joseph Simons, an antitrust lawyer; Noah Phillips, chief counsel for Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas); and Christine Wilson, a former Delta Air Lines executive. He also nominated consumer advocate Rohit Chopra to fill an open Democratic seat.

Simons stepped down from commission chair in January 2021. Chopra, in October 2021, left the agency to serve as the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Phillips resigned in October 2022.