Trump fires only two Democrats on FTC: ‘The President just illegally fired me’

Donald Trump has fired the two Democratic commissioners on the US Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday, further blurring the lines of bipartisanship at regulatory agencies.

The fired commissioners are confirmed to be Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter. Bedoya confirmed his firing in a post on social media.

“I’m a Commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission. The President just illegally fired me,” he wrote.

“The FTC is an independent agency founded 111 years ago to fight fraudsters and monopolists, our staff is unafraid of the Martin Shkrelis and Jeff Bezos of the world. They take them to court and they win.

“Now, the President wants the FTC to be a lap dog for his golfing buddies,” he continued.

In a similar statement, given to the American Prospect, Slaughter spoke about the unlawfulness of her firing.

“Today, the President illegally fired me from my position as a Federal Trade Commissioner, violating the plain language of a statute and clear Supreme Court precedent. Why? Because I have a voice, and he is afraid of what I’ll tell the American people,” she said.

She also expresses her concerns that Trump’s removal of “opposition voices” in the FTC will prevent his administration from being held accountable for its actions.

“The administration clearly fears the accountability that opposition voices would provide if the president orders Chairman Ferguson to treat the most powerful corporations and their executives – like those that flanked the President at his inauguration – with kid gloves,” the statement continues.

The US supreme court ruled in 1935 to uphold a law that allows FTC commissioners to be fired only for good cause, such as neglecting their duties. The ruling is meant to shield a number of independent and bipartisan agencies from direct control by the White House.