Republican FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson to step down on March 31 By Reuters

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s lone Republican commissioner, Christine Wilson, will step down from her role at the end of March, she said in a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday, in which she criticized FTC Chair Lina Khan.

“Under her (Khan’s) leadership, knowledgeable career staff have been scorned and sidelined. Most notably, early in her tenure, a gag order was imposed on staff that prevented them from engaging in consumer and business education – a vote of no confidence in our staff and a disservice to those we serve,” she said in her letter to Biden.

The FTC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, when Wilson said last month she would resign, the FTC issued a statement wishing her well.

Wilson’s departure will not change the balance of power on the commission. It should have five members, but without Wilson, a Republican, it would have just Khan, as chair, and commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya. All three are Democrats.

Wilson has accused the Biden administration FTC of overstepping by being too aggressive in stopping mergers and banning most noncompete clauses.

“To the sorrow and dismay of current and former FTC employees and political appointees on both sides of the aisle, the FTC has gone from first to worst,” her resignation letter added.

Wilson said in February that she would resign in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal but gave no timeline at the time.