Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and 10 other Democratic members of Congress today urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Trump Mobile’s broken promises related to Trump phone delivery dates and claims that it is “made in the USA.”
The request isn’t likely to get very far. Trump declared early in his second term that independent agencies like the FTC may no longer operate independently from the White House, and FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson has backed Trump’s claim of authority over historically independent agencies. The Supreme Court appears likely to approve Trump’s firing of an FTC Democrat, giving him expanded power over the agency.
The letter, led by Warren and other lawmakers, was sent to Ferguson. “We write today regarding questions about false advertising and deceptive practices by Trump Mobile, and to seek information on how the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) intends to address any potential violations of consumer protection law given the inherent conflicts of interest presented by the company’s relationship to President Donald Trump,” the letter said.
