Top Republicans in the judiciary are accusing a controversial Biden-Harris administration official of violating the Hatch Act by touring the country with Democratic politicians ahead of pivotal November elections.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights Policy, claimed that FTC Chairwoman Lena Khan could… Be guilty of engaging in partisan political activity in an official capacity, which is prohibited under the Hatch Act.
“According to recent reports, you have appeared at a series of events in Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Arizona with several candidates for elected office. Your tour has been described by the media as a ‘campaign challenge’ with the timing of your events ‘very close to election day’. … Hard to ignore,” he wrote. The lawmakers in a letter they sent Monday to the president.
“These campaign-style events create the appearance that you are using your official position to advocate for the election of specific Democratic candidates.”
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Rep. Jim Jordan, right, and Sen. Mike Lee accuse Lena Khan of violating the Hatch Act. (Reuters)
The Biden-Harris FTC chair has become a fan favorite among the Democratic Party’s most progressive units. However, it has also become a point of contention among the coalition trying to elect Vice President Kamala Harris. While some politicians are staunch supporters of Khan and her actions against Big Tech companies and other industries to prevent supposed anticompetitive behavior, a number of wealthy Harris donors have pushed for her removal, putting the vice president in the middle.
Khan has been hyper-vigilant about business moves, and has not hesitated to take on players in technology, healthcare and grocery. In fact, Jordan described her use of the FTC against companies as harassment in connection with her actions against Company X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk.
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Earlier this month, she joined Sen. Bernie Sanders, R-Vermont, and Rep. Greg Cassar, R-Texas, as well as Texas labor and labor leaders, for a discussion on workers’ freedom.
During the same week, she was a guest in Illinois on a “fireside chat” with Rep. Raja Krishnamurthy, D-Ill., where they discussed grocery prices and health care, among other topics.
Khan also made an apparent surprise visit to the swing state of Wisconsin, where she spoke to residents about the possible sale of a county-owned nursing home.
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Senator Bernie Sanders speaks during the Democratic National Convention on August 20, 2024 in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“We have been watching with some concern as more and more mergers and consolidations mean fewer players are coming to control important parts of the health care system,” she told Wisconsin residents during the visit.
However, this was not the only swing state where the chair stopped. She also joined Rep. Ruben Gallego in Phoenix, Arizona, to discuss rising rent prices. Gallego is one of the most competitive Senate races in the country.
While all of the events were billed as official business rather than campaign functions, the timing, locations, topics, and people involved caught the attention of both Jordan and Lee. With the general election less than two months away, official events with Khan merit scrutiny, according to lawmakers.
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Rep. Jim Jordan walks through the Longworth House office building. (Anna Rose Leyden/Getty Images)
“This concern is particularly relevant given your history of ignoring the agency’s ethics advice regarding the appearance of bias coupled with your subsequent untruthful testimony on this topic, and numerous complaints from FTC staff that your mismanagement made you a bottleneck that exacerbated the problem,” Republicans said. . “Prevented the FTC from successfully protecting consumers and bringing successful cases.”
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Jordan and Lee also asked Khan to provide all communications regarding the schedule of various events, as well as funding for travel and accommodation. They also asked her to provide documents and correspondence related to any guidance given to her by the FTC’s designated ethics official regarding holding public events with the candidates.
The FTC declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital.
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Julia Johnson is a political writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a political correspondent at the Washington Examiner.
Follow Julia’s reporting on X on @juliajohnson_ Send tips to Julia.Johnson@fox.com.
