Former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), has come to the defense of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan against Vice President Kamala Harris’s billionaire donors who have demanded her firing. A handful of billionaires backing Harris have publicly called for her to fire Khan as FTC chair—a move that is reportedly being considered by Harris.
These billionaires are involved with companies currently under investigation by the FTC for various issues. Khan has been accused of “waging war on American business” by billionaire Reid Hoffman, who bundled millions for Harris in the presidential race. Hoffman sits on Microsoft’s board and is also the co-founder of artificial intelligence startup Inflection—both of which are being investigated by the FTC.
Similarly, billionaire Barry Diller has referred to Khan as “a dope” and demanded her removal from office. However, he later walked back this statement. The FTC is also investigating his company, IAC Inc.
During an interview with CBS News, Vance defended Khan against Harris’s powerful donors. I don’t agree with Lina Khan on every issue, to be clear, but I think that she’s been very smart about trying to go after some of these big tech companies that monopolize what we’re allowed to say in our own country,” Vance said.
Vance and other Republicans—such as Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Reps. Ken Buck (R-CO) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL)—have been dubbed “Khanservative Republicans” by the Wall Street Journal for their support of Khan’s record as FTC chair.
I look at Lina Khan as one of the few people in the Biden administration that I think is doing a pretty good job,” Vance previously said.
Harris has recently become popular among Wall Street brokers who see her candidacy as a return to the status quo that dominated Washington, DC for decades. Harris is also backed by billionaire George Soros and his son, Alex Soros.