Trump fires both Democratic commissioners at FTC

By Jody Godoy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The 2 Democratic commissioners astatine the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said they were illegally fired by President Donald Trump connected Tuesday, successful different large trial of the independency of regulatory agencies.

A White House authoritative confirmed the firing but did not person further comment.

"This is corruption plain and simple," erstwhile Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya said of his firing from the user extortion bureau successful a connection connected X.

His erstwhile colleague, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, said successful a statement: "The President illegally fired maine from my presumption arsenic a Federal Trade Commissioner, violating the plain connection of a statute and wide Supreme Court precedent."

Trump has already sparked lawsuits by firing members of different autarkic agencies including the National Labor Relations Board.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled successful 1935 to uphold a instrumentality that allows FTC commissioners to beryllium fired lone for bully cause, specified arsenic neglecting their duties. The ruling shields a fig of independent, bipartisan multi-member agencies from nonstop power by the White House.

But determination were hints beyond the firings astatine the NLRB that much enactment was likely. Trump issued an enforcement bid connected February 18 giving the White House greater power implicit autarkic agencies, which experts viewed arsenic investigating the limits of statesmanlike power.

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Republican Commissioner Melissa Holyoak, the different Republican connected the Commission, person said they enactment the Trump administration's ineligible presumption that the White House has the powerfulness to occurrence bureau officials.

(Reporting by Jody Godoy; Editing by Stephen Coates)