Trump Fires Last Two Democrats On Federal Trade Commission

“Now, the President wants the FTC to be a lap dog for his golfing buddies,” Alvaro Bedoya said.

The talking yam has fired the two Democratic commissioners on the US Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday, further blurring the lines of bipartisanship at regulatory agencies. Via The Guardian:

The fired commissioners are confirmed to be Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter. Bedoya confirmed his firing in a post on social media.

“I’m a Commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission. The President just illegally fired me,” he wrote.

“The FTC is an independent agency founded 111 years ago to fight fraudsters and monopolists, our staff is unafraid of the Martin Shkrelis and Jeff Bezos of the world. They take them to court and they win.

“Now, the President wants the FTC to be a lap dog for his golfing buddies,” he continued.

In a similar statement given to the Guardian and other outlets, Slaughter spoke about the unlawfulness of her firing.

“Today, the President illegally fired me from my position as a Federal Trade Commissioner, violating the plain language of a statute and clear Supreme Court precedent. Why? Because I have a voice, and he is afraid of what I’ll tell the American people,” she said.

Reminder that the FTC is an independent agency, so Donald Trump has no legal right to fire Democrats on a partisan basis. he is just wasting everyone's time and money litigating the issue. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T23:25:19.953Z

I believe the FTC had been trying to take Musk's sworn deposition over his ownership and management of Twitter.

Look for Trump to attempt firings next at the EEOC, which is suing Tesla over years of racist harassment, discrimination and abuse of Musk's black employees there.

Ed Moltzen (@emoltzen.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T23:53:33.717Z

On a call, FTC commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, who Trump attempted to fire today, said: "We intend to fight this illegal attempt to fire us. We are not going to go, and we are certainly not going to go quietly."

David Dayen (@ddayen.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T23:38:24.888Z

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