FTC Under Khan Faulted by Watchdog on Hiring Unpaid Experts

  • Inspector general says the hires create legal, compliance risk
  • Agency brought in 17 workers it doesn’t pay since October 2020
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The US Federal Trade Commission under Chair Lina Khan has stepped up the use of unpaid experts and consultants without clear guidelines on their job responsibilities or transparency into how they were selected, the agency’s watchdog found.

The FTC’s Inspector General said in an audit posted Wednesday that the agency, in the late Trump administration and extending into President Joe Biden’s term, had recruited nine unpaid experts or consultants creating potential legal and compliance risks, including conflicts of interest.