President Trump’s illegal firing of FTC commissioners escalates pattern of White House interference in independent agencies

In response to yesterday’s news that President Donald Trump went against a precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court to illegally fire two commissioners on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Issue One’s Vice President of Advocacy Alix Fraser offered the following statement:

“The courts should move swiftly to stop this executive overreach and reinstate the commissioners fired yesterday to reinforce that no one in the United States — not even the president — is above the law. These latest firings are part of a pattern of President Trump acting unilaterally to bring independent agencies, like the FTC and Federal Election Commission (FEC), under the control of the White House.

“Protecting the many from corporate abuse and corruption by the few is part of the foundation of a strong democracy. Trump’s move to fire these FTC commissioners not only flies in the face of precedent, it is yet another attack on our democracy and an attempt to seize powers that defy accountability.

“The downstream effects of this decision on our democracy could also be devastating. For example, without meaningful enforcement of consumer protection laws, Big Tech companies will only be emboldened to deliberately design more dangerous products that addict and harm children, make it harder for consumers to control whether and how social media companies can use their personal data, and create a toxic online information environment that sows division and discord in our political discourse.”