Ocasio-Cortez promises 'brawl' if 'billionaires' force out Lina Khan

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) vowed Wednesday that there would be a “brawl” if wealthy Democratic donors attempt to force Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan out of a potential Harris administration.

“Let me make this clear, since billionaires have been trying to play footsie with the ticket: Anyone goes near Lina Khan and there will be an out and out brawl. And that is a promise,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a post on X.  

“She proves this admin fights for working people. It would be terrible leadership to remove her,” she added. 

The progressive Democrat voiced support for the FTC chair after billionaire investor Mark Cuban suggested Vice President Harris should replace Khan if she wins the election in November. 

“If it were me, I wouldn’t” keep Khan, Cuban told Semafor on Tuesday, adding, “The bigger picture is, she’s hurting more than she’s helping.” 

Cuban is the latest wealthy Harris backer to urge the vice president to replace the FTC chair. LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Barry Diller, the chair and senior executive of IAC and Expedia Group, have both called for Khan’s ouster. 

Khan has played a key role in the Biden administration’s antitrust push that has drawn the ire of the business community.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also came to Khan’s defense Wednesday, saying Cuban is “wrong” and thanking the FTC chair for her work. 

“Lina Khan is the best FTC Chair in modern history,” Sanders wrote on X. “By taking on corporate greed & illegal monopolies, Lina is doing an exceptional job preventing large corporations from ripping-off consumers & exploiting workers.” 

Several Harris backers also praised Khan at a tech-focused fundraiser in San Francisco over the weekend. The “Little Tech for Harris” reception was co-hosted by Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman, who applauded Khan and the administration’s antitrust efforts.