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The FTC's Top Consumer Protection Official Can't Go After Facebook -- or 100 Other Companies (theverge.com)
The Federal Trade Commission's top consumer protection official is prohibited from handling the cases involving 120 different companies, including Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, and Uber, according to financial disclosure documents published by Public Citizen this week. From a report: Andrew Smith, who heads the FTCs Consumer Protection Bureau, would be in charge of handling investigations into some of the country's largest companies and any consumer protection violations that may occur. But due to his conflicts of interest, Smith is barred from participating in any investigations involving the companies he previously provided legal services for. "It's a big world out there, and the FTC has very broad jurisdictions," Smith said to The Verge. "There are plenty of investigations that I'm involved in." Smith was approved by a 3-2 Republican majority in May.
No - he can't be in charge of the investigations
Yes - he can delegate those investigations to other officers under him - just like happens in the Justice Department.
I'm sure the Verge was all up in arms when Maxine Waters was re-upped to the banking committee in the house after she abused her powers to cut out a sweet deal for her husband's bank.
The chair of the FTC oversees running the agency. Why would they be handling investigations? Besides, he's the chair of the FTC, there are four other commissioners who can bird-dog investigations if that level of micro-management is necessary.
Andrew Smith may head the Consumer Protection Bureau, but doesn't personally investigate companies. That is the job of those below him. So the limitation on him investigating companies is meaningless political drivel.
The FTC, FCC, etc. would function a lot better if they were normal executive branch agencies and this post were a political appointee. No president would want to waste their time on a guy who would get such an obvious "lol, gtfo" from the Senate upon submission and it coming out that 20% of the fortune 500 cannot be investigated by him.
The Verge is Fake News.
It's a fox in every hen house for the US.
Be Excellent To Each Other
To stymie investigations they put a conflicted investigator in the investigation seat? OF COURSE THEY DID.
Whether or not the chair of the Consumer Protection Bureau is personally able to head investigations is less important to me than the question of why you would want to appoint a CPB chair who has all these previous financial ties to the biggest companies his agency is supposed to be protecting consumers from?
It's like appointing Mr Fox to be the head of the Henhouse Security Agency and thinking it's OK because he's not personally responsible for protecting the henhouse. I mean, what the fuck else is his job, then and why would you think he's going to delegate that responsibility to someone who has the hens' best interests in mind?
You are welcome on my lawn.
I hope, in the future, that the U.S. will have a functioning government.
Every night on the NBC TV show Late Night with Seth Meyers, Meyers has a segment called "A Closer Look" that shows video of the things President Trump did the day before.
He purposefully hired several lawyers to do simple legal stuff for only one reason.
So a tenant wouldn't be able to hire anyone local if they decided to sue him.
Makes me wonder if some of these large companies do the same thing. Hire lawyers with political ties so if/when they get into power they won't be able to go after them.
Care killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
THIS is EXACTLY why we need to pull corporate money out of politics AND reign in lobbyists. Bar lobbyists from serving on high level posts.
Delegate? Seriously?
Like someone is going to do something that hurts the boss' interests.
This is yet another example of the corruption of the Trump administration.
In the meantime, my bank is screwing me over and the CFPB isn't doing anything because that's the way Trump and his donors like it!
news is gonna have a field day with this
ridiculous faggot.
Hate speech.
MODS!
There is a reason so many corporate HQ are in the Washington DC area. It isn't because of the weather.
Keep on voting Amerikuks, that'll show the .1% who feed on you like vampires.
While Amerikuks hope to never get sick wotj one hand and eat shit with the other. TOPKEK!
If your a lawyer, and your company has defended a crap load of the folks who are under investigation by the Federal Trade Commision, YOU SHOULD NOT BE WORKING THERE. I ANY CAPACITY.
This is exactly whats wrong with Washington. Its the same a working for Universities in finance and financial theory, then working for the Security Exchange Commision, and the working for Goldman or B of A. Its the same vicious circle of insiders running the system with no real policing of bad behaviour.
America isnt a democracy, its a Plutocracy, the club of rich bastards who pull all the strings from behind the curtain.
Come on, people, you have to have seen the writing on the wall by now, stop being in denial about it and delete your Facebook account today, and start taking your rights and your privacy back! You do not need Facebook or any other so-called 'social media' to have a social life or keep up with people you know. Be actually social with people, in the real world and not the Internet, gaining all the benefits thereof, but without nosy greedy corporations like Facebook 'monetizing' your Very Much Personal Data without your express permission. What's so wrong with email and phone calls to people who are far away? Do you really need 'pseudo-friends' you've never met in person? Rhetorical question, since clearly you don't. Are you giving in to your desire to be socially avoidant? You know that's not good for you, practice being actually social with people you actually care about and have a richer, fuller life. Delete your Facebook account today , take back your real life from nosy corporations. You'll feel so much better once you do.
MOMMS!
It is ironic that the Smith and the trade commission cannot prosecute companies because of his prior connection (most likely privileged) but Ajit Pai and the comm commission can determine what's fair for human people despite his prior connection (I don't know if in house counsel also has privilege but I assume he would.)
The game seems rigged, once again.
It's obviously not about current president. It predates his birth.