Ohlhausen Should Become Permanent FTC Chair Over Utah AG Reyes, Says TPI's Lenard
Acting FTC Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen should become permanent chair over Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, said Technology Policy Institute President emeritus Thomas Lenard in an opinion piece Friday for Morning Consult. Lenard said it appears that Reyes (see 1702220046) is…
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being considered for the post not just because he's an outsider but also because of his "desire" to reopen an FTC investigation closed in 2013 (see 1503260030) into Google's alleged anticompetitive behavior, citing The Wall Street Journal. "Choosing candidates because of their views on a specific company is not a good precedent for a law-enforcement agency that is supposed to make evidence-based decisions," said Lenard. He said it would "taint" Reyes if appointed because he'd be viewed as favoring some companies over others and any Google probe may be perceived as politically motivated. Lenard said most successful FTC chairmen such as James Miller, Timothy Muris and William Kovacic, all Republicans, have had Washington experience, and the president "could hardly do better than Ohlhausen.”