Amazon has requested that Lina Khan, a critic of the company who recently became chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, recuse herself from investigations into the company due to her past statements, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Khan helped usher in an era of revamped antitrust thinking with her 2017 Yale Law Journal article that examined the company, in particular its competition with third-party sellers on its site. The FTC, with Khan at the helm, is probing that issue, as well as Amazon's proposed acquisition of MGM.
In its Wednesday filing the company contended that Khan's record, including "repeated proclamations that Amazon has violated the antitrust laws," called into question whether she could entertain its "defenses with an open mind," according to the report.
In a move that has worried antitrust traditionalists, Khan is also preparing for a Thursday session at which the FTC could vote to expand its tactics by broadening what competition cases it will take on. The commission will also look into how it will regulate "unfair or deceptive acts."
Democrats on the FTC, who generally push for more enforcement, have a 3-2 majority for the time being.
Climate TRACE's data show emissions at the facility-level.Image: Climate TRACE