Summary

Donald Trump fired FTC Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, the agency’s only Democrats, prompting accusations of illegal action.

Both cited Supreme Court precedent protecting FTC commissioners from dismissal without cause. Bedoya warned Trump wants the FTC to serve corporate interests, while Slaughter said the administration fears accountability.

The 1935 Supreme Court ruling bars presidents from removing FTC commissioners arbitrarily.

Critics say the move undermines regulatory independence and eliminates opposition voices that could challenge Trump’s policies favoring major corporations.

  • randon31415@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    Biden: “I can’t fire a postmaster general who actively tried to sabotage the election against me in 2020 because it would be against the law.”

    Trump: " I fired someone who SCOTUS directly said i can’t fire because some people openly bribed me"

    • pulsewidth@lemmy.world
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      14 days ago

      Hey at least they have the moral high ground - they’ll have a good view watching the country sink into fascism from up there

    • andros_rex@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      Or Biden and the 10k$ of student debt - which he buckled on basically immediately. Handouts to donors are okay, helping Americans isn’t.

      • pahlimur@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        This is a perfect example of why refuting bullshit is so much harder than generating it or spreading it.

        The Biden admin tried several times to forgive debt and was stopped by every republican and finally the Supreme Court. They didn’t drop it, they were forced to stop by Republicans after repeated attempts. If they didn’t find a legal path to forgiveness, it could be clawed back easily in the future.

        The Trump administration can do whatever the fuck it wants right now because Republicans are letting them with their overall majority.

  • LupusBlackfur@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    Most blatantly and openly venal miserable and horrible attempt at an “administration” in the last 60yrs… Likely in US history.

    Helluva legacy for you Chump! Good one!

    🙄 🙄 🖕 🖕 🖕

  • Feathercrown@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    What I don’t understand is, in what sense did he actually fire you? It’s illegal. Just show up to work anyways.

    • RedditSucks88@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      Why do people keep saying this is illegal lol. Just because you don’t agree with something doesn’t make it illegal. Don’t you think some high powered lawyer would offer to fight this for them?

      • Zedd_Prophecy@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        Did you not read the article OR the comments? ? ? I quote an above op who paraphrased the law. “They do have a ruling. 1935. May not without cause. Specific language is inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.”

      • Feathercrown@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        Alternatively, it’s illegal because it was confirmed to be illegal by the supreme court in 1935. Why would you assume we’re not speaking truthfully?

  • jjjalljs@ttrpg.network
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    14 days ago

    I feel like if a democrat did something like this fox news et al would be screaming screaming screaming and there would be violent riots. Why is everyone else so docile?

  • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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    13 days ago

    This makes no sense unless he can’t get his own people on the FTC or the FTC Republicans aren’t amenable to his agenda. It’s a bipartisan agency and the head leaving earlier left a spot open to swing the 5 person board to the Republicans.

    • qarbone@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      Why are you still expecting nuance? They’re Democrats and haven’t kissed his ass yet. That means they’re on the chopping block.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        Entirely possible with this asshole. And with more coffee on board it strikes me that making the FTC unable to function at all may be the goal.

  • Wren@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    So, let’s say after we add this to the already massive stack of criminal acts he and his jackbooted loyalists have done, we all gather around and admire how big it is while the few who remain that are capable of doing anything at all about it- do absolutely nothing at all about it.

    • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      No, this one is pretty clear. The FTC chairs very specifically cannot be made up of members of a single party, with a maximum ratio of 3 members of one party to 2 of others.

      If he really wanted to skirt the law without ipenly defying it, he could invent a new, fake, political party for replacement commissioners. But Trump has zero interest in obeying the law now that he’s been specifically granted immunity from prosecution for violation of the law.

    • Girru00@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      They do have a ruling. 1935. May not without cause. Specific language is inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office. So your point is…?