DoubleClick Goes MIA At FTC Chief's Old Law Firm

theodp writes "FTC Chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras has refused to recuse herself from the agency's review of Google's $3.1B DoubleClick acquisition, despite her current and past ties to DoubleClick law firm Jones Day. EPIC and the Center for Digital Democracy, which had requested her recusal, are keeping up the pressure as DoubleClick-related pages and references have been disappearing from Jones Day's website. Although the statement issued by the Chairwoman suggests Jones Day's DoubleClick representation is limited to the European Commission, the Google cache of one MIA document boasts: 'Jones Day is advising DoubleClick Inc., the digital marketing technology provider, on the international and US antitrust and competition law aspects of its planned $3.1 billion acquisition by Google Inc.'"

Comments

Quite surprising

[gravesb]

I'm surprised she's willing to take this kind of risk, and I'm very surprised that Jones Day is aiding her. Its just one client, and one matter before the FTC. Better that she recuse herself and be able to go back to Jones Day with no issues of impropriety than to play games and face some bar action. Most states have more liberal conflict guidelines for government employees, but sometimes arguing the letter of the law isn't worth the PR cost.

Re:Quite surprising

[hey!]

Well, it smells fishy to me. In a nutshell, you are asking why anybody in this position wouldn't recuse themselves?

If you were looking at a decision in whose outcome you didn't have a stake in, and there was any question of conflict of interest, it would be in your plain self-interest (as you point out) to recuse yourself.

This leaves only two logically possible explanations: either (a) she's acting against her own self-interest or (b) she has a stake in the outcome. In some universes where government accountability still functions, she could be doing both. But at least one of these has to be true.

In all fairness, we can't exclude the possibility that she is working against her own self-interest. Maybe the FTC simply can't come to a reasonable decision on anything like this without her unique and valuable participation. Maybe she's just really egotistical. Or maybe she's naive and is being used as a patsy. On the other hand, she was a partner at Jones Day, so presumably she's not naive.

Of course, we might be missing a third possibility (c) : maybe she doesn't give a rats ass for what the law says if nobody is going to hold her to it. Given that she served under Gonzales at Justice after she left Jones Day, and her former colleagues there would be responsible for going after her, it seems plausible. Naturally this doesn't preclude a, b or both.

Privacy

[proudfoot]

The privacy groups oppose the merger because, they said, it would give one company too much private information about consumers. These fears are unfounded. Google has made enough information available for everyone, and I don't think DoubleClick really has any information that can identify you personally.

Re:Ethics?

[AuMatar]

Actually, I think that returns 404.

WTF?

[Cctoide]

I was going to read TFA but I went MIA, probably due to a PEBKAC. Will give a sitrep ASAP.

Commissioner's Wife's DoubleClick Tie Vanishes

[theodp]

Also refusing to recuse himself from the DoubleClick acquisition review is FTC Commissioner William E. Kovacic, whose wife - Kathryn M. Fenton - is a partner at Jones Day. Fenton is listed as a contact on the web page touting Jones Day's experience with Media clients, which was recently modified to eliminate DoubleClick.