Top Democrat Backs Lina Khan As Donors Seek Her Ouster

South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, one of the most influential Democrats in the country, on Thursday praised Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan’s work, endorsing her continued tenure as the United States’ top antitrust regulator.

Clyburn spoke to HuffPost in a joint interview with Khan to tout the FTC’s $48 million settlement this week with Invitation Homes, a corporate landlord that the FTC accused of bilking renters for millions of dollars in junk fees, and hiding those fees through false advertising. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Clyburn had investigated allegedly illegal evictions conducted by Invitation Homes in his capacity as chair of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. Invitation Homes is also a major landlord in Clyburn’s home state.

Asked about the Democratic megadonors from the business world who have been pushing Vice President Kamala Harris to drop Khan if Harris wins the 2024 White House race, Clyburn described the public pressure as “foolishness.”

“Should be fired for what? For doing your job? I think she’s doing a good job. I think this is an indication of doing that job,” he said, referring to the Invitation Homes settlement. “I suspect that people who represent Invitation Homes may want her to be replaced by somebody who would not do their jobs.”

Clyburn compared criticism of Khan to the opposition his daughter Mignon Clyburn faced while she served as a member of the Federal Communications Commission.

“People who come into these administrations, they come with not just competence but compassion,” he said. “And I think that the [FTC chair] has shown competence and compassion. And those people who are lacking in compassion, they’re never going to come around to your way of