Alvaro Bedoya, who was abruptly dismissed from his role as a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) earlier this week by President Donald Trump, is now speaking out—calling his firing illegal and warning the country is heading toward “total chaos.”
In an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett on Thursday, Bedoya, who began his FTC tenure in May 2022, said he received no justification for his termination.
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“None whatsoever,” he said. “And that’s why I’m confident that this was illegal because the law says – and the Supreme Court has ratified – this needs to be done for cause. It can’t just be because the president doesn’t like what I think. It has to be done for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance, and they allege none of those things.”
Though cautious about speculating on the reasons behind the firing, Bedoya pointed to a recent public statement he made that could have triggered political backlash—his criticism of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and the treatment of warehouse workers.
“And I will note after sending, I think, roughly a little under $30 million towards the president, his inauguration, and the First Lady in a sweetheart deal cut with Amazon, guess who has been nominated to fill the head of Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA?” he said. “An Amazon executive. And so I don’t think it is wrong to worry that we’re headed to a world of corruption and corporate handouts headed toward the FTC.”
The Trump administration has indicated it will defend the firing in court, potentially setting up a constitutional showdown over the limits of presidential power. Bedoya appeared undeterred. “I’ll see them there,” he said, adding that the situation has ushered in an unprecedented level of uncertainty.
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“No one has any idea, Erin, what’s going to happen to this case, because this has never happened before,” Bedoya explained. “Will it go away? Will it stay? I don’t know, but if you ask ‘who it helps to try to fire me’… I think it’s the kind of billionaires who were behind the president’s shoulder at the inauguration.”
Legal experts say the case could have significant implications for the independence of federal agencies and set a precedent for future presidential authority over appointed commissioners.
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