According to copies of the subpoena that Axios has seen, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) summoned the head of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan, on Wednesday as part of the inquiry into Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter.
Why it’s important In their fight against what they see to be the US government arming of conservatives, House Republicans have made the FTC’s probe into Musk’s acquisition of Twitter one of many targets.
The specifics: The committee must receive the new subpoena’s extensive list of requested records and internal correspondence regarding the FTC probe by 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 26.
- “To date, your voluntary compliance has been woefully inadequate,” Jordan wrote in a letter addressed to Khan.
- “Accordingly, the Committee is issuing a subpoena to compel the production of documents necessary for our oversight.”
- The letter defends the committee’s oversight authority, noting that “legislative reforms … could include legislation to ensure that the FTC’s investigative and enforcement powers are not abused in ways that adversely affect trade and competition or interfere with civil liberties and freedom of expression.” “.
What you say: “The FTC respects the important role of congressional oversight. We have made several offers to brief Chairman Jordan’s staff on our investigation into Twitter,” FTC spokesman Douglas Farrar said in a statement shared with Axios.
- “These are standing offers made prior to this entirely unnecessary subpoena.”
The big picture: The Judiciary Committee has raised concerns that the FTC has gone too far in requiring Twitter to identify members of the media who have been granted access to the company’s internal records.
- Conservatives believe Twitter’s past leadership unfairly censored some Conservative communications ahead of the 2020 election.
- At the time, Twitter said it was focused on removing disinformation, posts the company deemed racist and those violating Twitter’s User Agreement.
- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has teamed up with Jordan for support from the FTC. Jordan and Cruz wrote in a letter to Khan last month.
- The FTC has sent more than a dozen letters to Twitter since Musk took over. It has asked about recent layoffs and details of the company’s sharing of internal documents with reporters.
- It’s not uncommon for the FTC to investigate large tech companies. And Twitter has been under a consent decree for years over concerns about the security of user data, including who has access to it. “FTC investigations are straightforward and non-political,” according to one FTC spokesman said.
