Top Republicans accuse FTC chair of Hatch Act violations over 'campaign-style events' with Dems

Top Judiciary Republicans are accusing a controversial Biden-Harris administration official of violating the Hatch Act by touring the country with Democratic politicians ahead of the pivotal November elections.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, claimed Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan could be guilty of engaging in partisan political activity in her official capacity, which is prohibited under the Hatch Act. 

"According to recent reports, you appeared at a series of events in Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin and Arizona with several candidates for elected office. Media accounts described your tour as a 'campaign gauntlet' with the timing of your events 'so near the election… hard to ignore,'" the lawmakers wrote in a letter sent on Monday to the chair.

"These campaign-style events create the appearance that you are using your official position to advocate for the election of certain Democrat candidates."

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The Biden-Harris FTC chair has become a fan favorite among the more progressive contingent of the Democratic Party. However, she 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 and other industries to prevent supposedly anticompetitive behavior, a number of Harris' wealthy donors have pushed for her removal, putting the vice president in the middle. 

Khan has been hyper-vigilant of business moves, not hesitating to take on players in the tech, health care and grocery industries. In fact, Jordan has characterized her wielding of the FTC against businesses as harassment regarding her actions against X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk.