Democratic FTC commissioner claims he was 'illegally fired' by Trump, setting up legal challenge

A Federal Trade Commissioner appointed by a Democrat claimed in a statement Tuesday that he was illegally fired by President Donald Trump.

“The FTC is an independent agency founded 111 years ago to fight fraudsters and monopolists. Our staff is unafraid of the Martin Shkrelis and Jeff Bezos of the world. They take them to court and they win,” Bedoya wrote in a post to X. “Now, the president wants the FTC to be a lapdog for his golfing buddies.” 

Bedoya is a lawyer who focused on privacy and technology before he was appointed to the FTC by President Biden in 2022. President Trump also reportedly fired the other remaining Democrat on the commission, leaving just two Republican members. 

Since the beginning of the Trump administration, the nominally independent federal body was in a stalemate after Biden-appointed Chair Lina Khan resigned from the commission in January. 

The firings are likely to face similar legal challenges to President Trump’s termination of other independent government agencies like the National Labor Relations Board. In 1935, the Supreme Court ruled in Humphrey's Executor v. United States that the president could only fire FTC commissions for cause, including neglect of duties, inefficiency or malfeasance.