The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday subpoenaed documents from Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan related to its ongoing probe of Twitter Inc.
(Bloomberg) — The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday subpoenaed documents from Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan related to its ongoing probe of Twitter Inc.
Chairman Jim Jordan, in a letter to Khan, called the FTC’s Twitter investigation an “abuse of its statutory authorities” and said Khan’s response to the committee’s written questions “woefully insufficient.”
“Accordingly, the Committee is issuing a subpoena to compel the production of documents necessary to inform our oversight,” Jordan wrote.
FTC spokesman Douglas Farrar said the agency has offered to brief Jordan’s staff on nonpublic information about the Twitter investigation, but they have yet to take the FTC up on its offer.
“The FTC respects the important role of Congressional oversight,” Farrar said. “We have made multiple offers to brief Chairman Jordan’s staff on our investigation into Twitter. Those are standing offers made prior to this entirely unnecessary subpoena.”
The Republican-led Judiciary panel last month accused the FTC of “harassing” Twitter during its deepening inquiry into the company’s conduct since billionaire Elon Musk purchased the social media platform. The agency rejected the accusations, arguing it has a duty to protect consumers.
Twitter is currently under a consent decree with the FTC, meaning the agency is overseeing the company’s privacy practices. The FTC deepened its investigation into Twitter after Musk fired thousands of employees, some of whom were charged with protecting privacy and security on Twitter.
Jordan has accused Khan, a progressive stalwart who has pledged to reinvigorate the agency’s trustbusting powers, of using her position to promote socialism, calling her “radical and partisan.”
In his letter to Khan accompanying the subpoena, Jordan signaled that his panel is considering new legislation pertaining to the FTC.
“These legislative reforms could include, among other proposals, laws to ensure that the FTC’s investigative and enforcement authority is not abused in ways that hurt commerce and competition or harm civil liberties and free speech,” Jordan writes.
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