President-elect Donald Trump is set to appoint Andrew Ferguson as chair of the Federal Trade Commission, according to a Dec. 10 Truth Social post.
"Andrew has a proven record of standing up to big tech censorship, and protecting freedom of speech in our great country," Mr. Trump said.
Here are six things to know:
1. Mr. Ferguson will replace Lina Khan, who was sworn in on June 15, 2021. The FTC consists of five commissioners who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve seven-year terms. No more than three commissioners can belong to the same political party to ensure political balance.The president designates one of the commissioners to serve as chair, according to the FTC website.
2. Mr. Ferguson earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Charlottesville-based University of Virginia. He then clerked for Judge Karen Henderson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
3. Mr. Ferguson was sworn in as a commissioner of the FTC on April 2. He previously served as Virginia solicitor general. He also served as chief counsel to Sen. Mitch McConnell and as Republican counsel in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
4. In a Dec. 10 X post, Mr. Ferguson thanked Mr. Trump for the appointment and committed to ending "big tech's vendetta against competition and free speech." He also ensured that America will become "the world's technological leader and the best place for innovators to bring new ideas to life."
5. Mr. Ferguson has also vocalized his dedication to protecting online freedom of speech, including FTC prosecution of platforms and advertisers that are "colluding to suppress free speech" in violation of antitrust laws and protecting Americans from "illegal online censorship," "fraudsters" and "monopolists." He has also opposed government agencies having control over free speech.
"No government agency should be in the business of policing speech," he said in a Nov. 11 X post. "Nebulous terms like 'misinformation,' 'disinformation,' and 'malinformation,' really mean any speech which goes against the elite consensus in DC and Silicon Valley."
6. The FTC and the Justice Department's antitrust division withdrew the Antitrust Guidelines for Collaborations Among Competitors on Dec. 11, aiming to promote fair competition and citing outdated policies. The vote to withdraw the guidelines was 3-2, with Mr. Ferguson and Commissioner Melissa Holyoak opposing.
Mr. Ferguson criticized the move and shared that while the commission should revisit its nonbinding guidance from time to time to ensure the public is properly informed of its enforcement position, he warned that frequent reversals of policy could undermine the guideline values.
America's Essential Hospitals did not have a comment for Becker's regarding Mr. Trump's appointment of Mr. Ferguson. Becker's has also reached out to the American Hospital Association for comment and will update this story should more information become available.