Facebook wants FTC Chair Lina Khan to recuse herself from antitrust probe

Facebook asked the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday to recuse Chair Lina Khan from any antitrust actions against the company, arguing that her history of criticizing big tech companies means she cannot be impartial. 

The company pointed to Khan’s academic writing, in which she said the company “foreclosed competitors from its platform,” as well as her work for the Open Markets Institute, an anti-monopoly advocacy group that wanted Facebook to sell off subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram. “When a new commissioner has already drawn factual and legal conclusions and deemed the target a lawbreaker, due process requires that individual to recuse herself from related matters when acting in the capacity of an FTC Commissioner,” Facebook wrote in a 27-page petition of recusal filed with the FTC.