WASHINGTON— Facebook Inc. sought the recusal of Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Lina Khan in the agency’s deliberations on whether to file a new antitrust case against the company, arguing she couldn’t be impartial because of her long history of criticizing it and other big-tech firms.
“Chair Khan has consistently made public statements not only accusing Facebook of conduct that merits disapproval but specifically expressing her belief that the conduct meets the elements of an antitrust offense,” the company said Wednesday in a formal recusal petition filed with the FTC.
“When a new commissioner has already drawn factual and legal conclusions and deemed the target a lawbreaker, due process requires that individual to recuse herself,” Facebook said in the petition.
An FTC spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Ms. Khan has said previously that she would consult with FTC ethics officials if recusal questions arose.
Facebook’s request comes two weeks after a similar recusal petition was filed by Amazon.com , which is facing multiple investigations at the FTC, and is the latest sign that giant technology companies are favoring aggression over a conciliatory approach with Ms. Khan, who built her career advocating for bold antitrust action to rein in the dominant players in Silicon Valley.
