• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, July 3, 2023

President Joe Biden has nominated Virginia Solicitor General Andrew Ferguson and Utah Solicitor General Melissa Holyoak to replace the two Republican Federal Trade Commission members who recently left the five-member agency.

Ferguson previously served as chief counsel to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Holyoak previously served as president and general counsel of the public interest firm Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, and also previously worked as an attorney with the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Center for Class Action Fairness.

FTC Chair Lina Khan stated Monday that the nominees “would bring key skills, experiences, and expertise to the Commission as we work to promote fair competition and protect Americans from unfair or deceptive practices.”

She added: "The Commission operates best at full strength, and I look forward to working with them to fulfill the important mandate Congress has given us."

If confirmed by the Senate, Ferguson and Holyoak will replace Christine Wilson, who left in March, and Noah Phillips, who departed in October.

Wilson, who announced her resignation in a Wall Street Journal op-ed in February, said she was stepping down due to Khan's alleged “disregard for the rule of law.”

She accused Khan of disregarded limits on the FTC's jurisdiction and abusing power in order “to achieve desired outcomes.”