Khan Defends FTC Ethics Official Amid Reports

The FTC’s designated agency ethics official is a “dedicated, honest, career civil servant who follows” the rules, FTC Chair Lina Khan said Friday in response to reports Lorielle Pankey acted improperly. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., have questioned ethics practices at the agency under Khan (see 2306280063). The Wall Street Journal reported Pankey owned stock in Meta when she advised Khan to recuse herself from a case involving the company. Khan issued a joint statement with Democratic Commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya: “We stand behind and are proud of our career staff. We are extraordinarily lucky to have highly professional and skilled colleagues who tirelessly work to preserve fair competition and protect Americans from unlawful business practices.”