Trump fires both Democratic FTC commissioners, setting stage for legal brawl

President Trump has fired both of the Federal Trade Commission’s Democratic commissioners, setting up a legal battle that will have major implications for a key bipartisan regulatory agency traditionally seen as independent from the executive branch.The White House informed Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter of their dismissals on Tuesday, the Democrats confirmed in separate X posts.Both Bedoya and Slaughter called their firings “illegal” and vowed to challenge Trump in court.“The president just illegally fired me.

This is corruption plain and simple,” said Bedoya.Slaughter said Trump’s decision violated “the plain language of a statute and clear Supreme Court precedent.”“The law protects the independence of the Commission because the law serves the American people, not corporate power,” Slaughter said in a statement.The firings left FTC chair Andrew Ferguson and fellow Republican Melissa Holyoak as the sole remaining members of the five-person panel.Mark Meador, who was nominated by Trump to be the third Republican FTC commissioner, has yet to be confirmed by a full Senate vote.It wasn’t immediately clear if Trump plans to nominate replacements for Bedoya and Slaughter.White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers said Trump “has the lawful authority to manage personnel within the executive branch.”“President Trump will continue to rid the federal government of bad actors unaligned with his common sense agenda the American people decisively voted for,” Rogers added in a statement.Ferguson, who has referred to the agency as the “Trump-Vance FTC” since taking over as chair, backed the president’s right to fire commissioners.“I have no doubts about his constitutional authority to remove commissioners, which is necessary to ensure democratic accountability for our government,” Ferguson said in a statement posted on X.“The Federal Trade Commission will continue its tireless work to protect consumers, lower prices,...