Amazon Wants FTC Head To Recuse Herself In Antitrust Case

Amazon wants Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairwoman Lina Khan to recuse herself in antitrust investigations of the company, citing her past criticisms of the mammoth retailer, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday (June 30).

“Given her long track record of detailed pronouncements about Amazon, and her repeated proclamations that Amazon has violated the antitrust laws, a reasonable observer would conclude that she no longer can consider the company’s antitrust defenses with an open mind,” Amazon said in a 25-page motion filed Wednesday with the FTC.

As the Journal story noted, Khan — who assumed her role this month — has been a vocal critic of Big Tech, specifically Amazon, and is a “central figure in a progressive movement that favors sweeping changes to antitrust enforcement to take on the nation’s most powerful firms.”

Testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee prior to her confirmation, Khan said that companies like Apple and Google have far too much power. She rose to prominence with a paper that called Amazon a harmful monopoly, and said it represented the need for stronger antitrust enforcement in the U.S.

The FTC declined to comment, the Journal story said. The FTC has a 3-2 Democratic majority, with commissioners finding some bi-partisan agreement but splitting on antitrust cases. According to the Journal story, the Commission’s Republican members hold views that differ from Khan’s when it comes to Amazon.

Amazon’s move to have Khan recuse herself comes at a time when the FTC is conducting an extensive probe into Amazon’s business practices, including a review of the company’s proposed acquisition of MGM studios.

As PYMNTS reported in May, the company is also facing antitrust probes in several different states, stemming from the allegation that Amazon uses its market power to overpower its rivals and compete against third-party sellers who pay to put their wares on Amazon, along with other alleged anti-competitive behaviors.