Facebook tries to beat FTC lawsuit by pushing Chair Lina Khan off the case

Enlarge / Lina Khan speaks to the Senate Commerce Committee on April 21, 2021, when her nomination to the FTC was being considered. (credit: Getty Images | Bloomberg)

In an attempt to avoid government scrutiny, Facebook today petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to have Chair Lina Khan removed from the antitrust case against the social media giant.

Facebook's petition comes shortly before the FTC must decide whether to continue its lawsuit against Facebook, which seeks to break up the company. The agency would have to submit an amended complaint because a judge dismissed the agency's first attempt, which was filed by the FTC during the last weeks of the Trump administration.

Today's Facebook petition was sent to the FTC and Khan, asking them "to recuse Chair Khan from participating in any decisions concerning whether and how to continue the FTC's antitrust case against the company." Facebook's petition comes two weeks after Amazon filed one asking Khan to remove herself "from any antitrust investigation, adjudication, litigation, or other proceeding in which Amazon is a subject, target, or defendant."

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