The United States is currently witnessing a unique confrontation between “the rule of law and the rule of billionaires,” cautioned a senior Democratic government official and lawyer following his unprecedented dismissal by Donald Trump.
Alvaro Bedoya, who was abruptly removed from his position as a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last week, issued a “blinking red alarm” regarding backdoor “quid pro quo” arrangements he claims are occurring within the Trump administration.
Both Bedoya and his fellow commissioner, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, also a Democrat, were dismissed from the FTC, which serves as Washington’s foremost antitrust enforcement body. They have since filed lawsuits against the administration, asserting that their terminations were unlawful.
In a conversation with the Guardian, Bedoya voiced his concerns that his firing signifies the increasing influence of billionaires over the federal government. “This issue transcends the progressive versus conservative divide,” he stated. “It fundamentally concerns the rule of law versus the rule of billionaires.”
Typically, independent and bipartisan entities like the FTC are insulated from direct White House oversight. Supreme Court rulings interpret the FTC Act’s provisions, stipulating that the president can only remove FTC commissioners for “insufficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance” while in office.
When Bedoya initially announced his termination on social media, he claimed that the president “wants the FTC to serve as a lap dog for his golfing associates.” He has since continued to express concern regarding actions taken under Trump, as well as the notable group of wealthy supporters he has gathered leading up to and following his victory last November.
At the FTC, Bedoya was involved in various cases against Amazon, including allegations that the company retained children’s voice data against parental wishes and compelled small businesses into unfair pricing agreements. Amazon was established by Jeff Bezos, who joined a cadre of tech billionaires—including Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google—at Trump’s inauguration.
“It’s noteworthy that one of my final public statements before the president attempted to fire me was criticizing the high injury rates and the poor working conditions in Amazon warehouses, leading the company to install vending machines that dispense painkillers,” Bedoya remarked.
He indicated that the ties between Trump and Bezos should be evident to any keen observer. Amazon contributed $1 million to the president’s inaugural fund, and its streaming division reportedly paid millions for the rights to produce a documentary about Melania Trump, the First Lady.
“When you observe a company like Amazon, which has such a concerning safety record, coupled with donations from Mr. Bezos and deals being made between the first family and Mr. Bezos’s enterprise, and then consider that the individual nominated to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an Amazon safety executive, it would be naive not to be concerned about potential corruption and the possibility of corporate pardons,” Bedoya stated.
“I can’t speak for how most Americans perceive this, but I know what I think when I see it,” he added.
Taylor Rogers, assistant press secretary at the White House, remarked: “President Trump has the lawful authority to manage personnel within the executive branch. He will continue to remove bad actors from the federal government who do not align with the common sense agenda the American people decisively voted for.”
A spokesperson for Amazon responded that Bedoya’s assertions about the company are “inaccurate and misleading.”
“As a responsible employer, we provide basic first aid items like over-the-counter pain relievers to our employees,” the spokesperson added, claiming that injury rates have decreased since 2019. According to the company, parents can “easily delete individual child voice recordings and transcripts” via an app linked to Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant.
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Bedoya further stressed that the corrupting effect of money in politics is not confined to a single party. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a registered Democrat, is enmeshed in a continuing series of corruption allegations, even as the Department of Justice moves to dismiss the charges in an action that has raised eyebrows among many.
“To me, it represents a blinking red alarm regarding the situation with Eric Adams at the Department of Justice, where it seems there was some underlying deal between senior administration officials and the mayor to drop the charges against him in return for some form of quid pro quo,” Bedoya articulated.
“I fear that a similar scenario may occur at a place like the FTC,” he added. “In a scenario where the president can dismiss anyone on that commission at any moment, how can you refuse, right?”
While Bedoya cannot determine whether the majority of Americans share his views, he is optimistic that the influence of billionaires will become increasingly apparent, raising awareness about corruption within the U.S. government.
Over the weekend, he spoke at a well-attended rally hosted by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. While Trump continues to openly ridicule Democrats, such as during his contentious address to a joint session of Congress, some leftist politicians recognize an opening to cultivate the unity that Trump failed to foster in the White House.
“What was particularly exciting about that rally is that it was not exclusively a Democratic gathering. Yes, Senator Sanders and Representative Ocasio-Cortez are Democrats, but afterwards, I had conversations with individuals in the audience who represented a diverse coalition,” Bedoya noted.
“The audience included Democrats, Republicans, and those who typically despise politics but recognize that something is amiss.”
