Lina Khan’s Despicable “Mob Bosses” Rhetoric

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Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan recently branded the leaders of America’s tech companies “mob bosses” and talked about how they work with “henchmen.”

This is prima facia evidence that Chair Khan cannot be an impartial judge of matters that come before the FTC. The rhetoric is at odds with the letter and the spirit of the law regarding her role and duties as chair.

Chair Khan’s remarks were made at a June 11 forum of TechCrunch, a prominent industry group, at an event in Arlington, Virginia. They were calculated and premeditated.

For the record, mobsters kill, maim, and torture innocent parties for private gain. Tech leaders create jobs, infrastructure, and new products and services that widely benefit society, including through substantial stock portfolio gains.

Chair Khan’s remarks show a disdain, indeed a contempt, for America’s business leaders and perhaps all who choose to engage in business instead of government work. Her invective language is divisive and has no place in a country that has thrived through free enterprise and lifted much of the world as a result.

Paul Steidler is a Senior Fellow with the Lexington Institute, a public policy think tank based in Arlington, VA.