WASHINGTON – The Competitiveness Coalition announced today it has sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) records request to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Office of Inspector General regarding suspected engagement between former President Biden’s FTC Chair Lina Khan and Chinese online retailers Temu, Shein and Pinduoduo, as well as Temu’s parent company PDD Holdings. Politico Morning Tech first reported on the development.
Signed by Chair Scott Brown, the request arrives after The Information reported earlier this year that the FTC – prior to Jan. 20 – sent a letter with questions to Temu and spoke with representatives of the site on the phone as part of its ongoing investigations. As noted by the Daily Caller, Temu has been described by Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Diane Rinaldo as “an information-gathering spyware program masquerading as an e-commerce site.”
“It should concern all Americans that the Biden FTC under former Chair Lina Khan may have collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party-connected Temu in order to build cases against innovative U.S. companies,” said Chair Scott Brown. “We’ve submitted this request to determine the extent of the FTC’s engagement so that the American taxpayers know exactly how their hard-earned money is being used. We are hopeful the FTC OIG will comply with this request in a timely manner.”
Specifically, the Coalition is seeking written communication or memorandum sent, received, recorded, or drafted in relation to the agency’s antitrust investigation process and any collaboration that may have occurred between former FTC Chair Lina Khan and staff and outside entities regarding the panel’s investigation into an American company.
The Coalition’s records request is for the period January 1, 2024 to January 20, 2025.
“The possible active participation of an executive branch official and/or staff in an effort to seek foreign information to undermine American companies is a matter of great public importance and interest. The Competitiveness Coalition wishes to review any and all documents that exist showing the role played by foreign entities into an FTC investigation,” the FOIA letter states.
For nearly three years, the Competitiveness Coalition has been sounding the alarm on the FTC’s egregious overreach and concerning actions. For more information on the Coalition’s work on this front, please visit competitivenesscoalition.com. Members of the press can contact the coalition at press@competitivenesscoalition.com.
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The Competitiveness Coalition is a first-of-its-kind group educating the public and advocating for policies that put consumers first while fostering innovation and attracting new investment.