WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said on Friday that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission had denied requests for information about its procedures, and said it was considering “legal options.”
The Chamber, which represents U.S. businesses, has clashed with the regulator over votes cast by former Commissioner Rohit Chopra, who now heads the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
“It is clear that the FTC is attempting to govern via secret rules for secret proceedings with secret votes. After just two days and without any substantive consideration, the FTC issued a blanket denial of the Chamber’s request for transparency, claiming it was too burdensome,” said Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley.
He added that the group was “considering our legal options.”
The FTC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Chamber of Commerce wrote three letters and filed more than 30 Freedom of Information Act requests in mid-November about what it said were failures by the FTC to strictly follow rules.
The Chamber said it was particularly concerned about votes cast by Chopra before he left the FTC but which were announced after his departure.
The Chamber also expressed concern about what it said was White House interference in FTC decision-making and the agency’s decision to use civil penalty authority.
In its statement on Friday, the Chamber said it had submitted additional FOIA requests regarding “Policy with Respect to Counting Votes of Departing and Arriving Commissioners.” It also asked for records related to votes that Chopra cast between Sept. 30 and Oct 8.
Chopra was confirmed to the CFPB on Oct. 1 but remained at the FTC until Oct 8.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Dan Grebler)
