Republicans Accuse FTC of Deleting Documents in NIH Probe

Leading congressional Republicans have accused the Federal Trade Commission of improperly destroying electronic records related to an ongoing probe of the National Institutes of Health.

In a letter sent this week to FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan by U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., the legislators demand answers on why the agency “improperly destroyed” records related to a congressional oversight probe, which they add “likely violated federal law.”

“We write regarding the Federal Trade Commission’s … failure to preserve agency records,” the letter reads.

“By deleting documents, the FTC likely violated federal law. It also impeded Congressional oversight of the FTC’s recent, unprecedented actions, including its proposed rule banning non-compete clauses. Congress and the public deserve an explanation of why the FTC improperly destroyed records, what records it improperly destroyed, and what steps will be taken to ensure it never happens again.”

The legislators go on to ask for “written answers and relevant documents” in response to a list of questions, including details on what records that had been requested by legislators have been deleted, what steps the agency has taken to recover this data, and “What procedures are currently in place at the FTC to prevent the destruction of records that should be preserved?”

In a statement, an FTC spokesperson said that the agency had received the letter and added: “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.”