House Republicans subpoena FTC over investigation into Musk Twitter takeover
Cami Mondeaux
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Republican leaders on the House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed the Federal Trade Commission over its investigation into Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, accusing the agency of making “inappropriate and burdensome demands.”
Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) issued the subpoena to FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan on Wednesday, demanding access to documents and internal communications related to the FTC’s investigation that was opened shortly after Musk took over the social media company. The subpoena marks the latest efforts by Republicans to investigate what they consider to be the “weaponization” of the federal government against conservatives.
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“To date, your voluntary compliance has been woefully insufficient,” Jordan wrote in a letter to Khan. “Accordingly, the Committee is issuing a subpoena to compel the production of documents necessary to inform our oversight.”
The subpoena builds on previous requests from the committee to provide documents related to the FTC investigation, which have gone unfulfilled, according to Jordan. The subpoena compels Khan to comply with the request by April 26 at 9 a.m.
“The Committee has good reason to believe that the FTC will not voluntarily produce the documents requested,” Jordan wrote. “The FTC’s refusal to provide this material is unacceptable.”
The FTC has sent dozens of letters to Twitter employees since Musk’s takeover in October, requesting information about layoffs and the company’s process of sharing internal documents with reporters. The agency also sought all communications “related to Elon Musk,” initially scheduling a deposition with the billionaire in early February. That meeting was later delayed.
Republicans on the Judiciary Committee decried such moves, raising concerns that the FTC engaged in government overreaching by asking the social media company to identify reporters who gained access to the information.
The latest subpoena builds on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government’s efforts to accuse the agency of “harassing” Twitter and investigate the company’s conduct outside of the FTC’s jurisdiction. The panel released a 113-page report in early March detailing more than 350 demands from the FTC about the company’s decision-making.
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“The timing, scope, and frequency of the FTC’s demands to Twitter suggest a partisan motivation to its action,” the committee said in a statement at the time. “When Musk took action to reorient Twitter around free speech, the FTC regularly followed soon thereafter with a new demand letter. The ostensible legal basis for the demand letters — including monitoring Twitter’s privacy and information security program under a revised consent decree between the company and the FTC — fails to provide adequate cover for the FTC’s action.”
The FTC did not respond to a request for comment by the Washington Examiner.