FTC Denies Republican Claims Over Records Retention
The FTC follows federal laws for maintaining its records, an agency spokesperson said Thursday in response to claims from congressional Republicans that the FTC is improperly destroying documents. Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, House Judiciary Committee Chairman…
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Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., alleged in a letter Thursday that the agency improperly deleted documents about noncompete clauses, impeding oversight requests from Jordan. The group cited an inspector general report from February that said the agency failed to properly maintain its records. According to the inspector general, the agency failed to follow National Archives and Records Administration records scheduling requirements and didn’t set up automated practices for proper storage and timely disposal of records in a uniform manner across the agency. “By deleting documents, the FTC likely violated federal law,” they wrote. “It also impeded Congressional oversight of the FTC’s recent, unprecedented actions, including its proposed rule banning non-compete clauses.” Jordan and Cruz have heavily scrutinized the FTC under Chair Lina Khan (see 2303100065). An agency spokesperson confirmed receiving the letter Thursday: “The FTC maintains records in accordance with federal law, including Federal Information Security Management Act requirements on the retention of records and disposal of records for security purposes.”