Fired FTC commissioner formally resigns

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Politico

06/09/2025 04:16 PM EDT


A Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission who refused to accept his March firing by President Donald Trump has resigned his post. Alvaro Bedoya submitted a letter to the White House Monday saying he is immediately stepping down — a move that comes months after Trump fired him and fellow Democratic Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter.

Bedoya and Slaughter were part of an unprecedented wave of firings across federal agencies in which Trump has specifically targeted Democratic members of independent commissions. Bedoya and Slaughter both sued to overturn their March dismissal in federal court, arguing the president fired them for political reasons, a case Bedoya said he will continue to pursue.

“While being an FTC commissioner is a dream job, my number one job is to take care of my family,” Bedoya told POLITICO last week in an exclusive interview. “We’ve been abiding by the ethical restriction that we understand to apply to commissioners, so I haven’t taken another job, I haven’t accepted outside income.”

He said he’s leaving not to abandon the fight, but to be legally able to take another job.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/09/fired-ftc-commissioner-formally-resigns-00394242

[thesquanderer]

1. What's the end game? From further in the article...

Bedoya and Slaughter’s lawsuit against the Trump administration argues they were illegally fired for political reasons, and asks that they be allowed to continue their roles as FTC commissioners. Bedoya dropped the latter request in a court filing on Monday after submitting his resignation, and is only asking the judge to find that his termination was illegal.

Even if the court finds that the termination was illegal, what's the point? Presidents have been immune from civil lawsuits arising from their duties as president since 1982 (civil lawsuits being something apart from whether or not something is actually illegal), and now presidential immunity extends even to things that are illegal. So even if the court rules in his favor, what could be done about it? Unless they're hoping this goes to the Supreme Court who then decides to use this case to reverse their earlier king-making opinion?

[BumRushDaShow]

2. One of the issues here is the slow-walking by the court for this case

The 2 Democratic Commissioners filed suit at the end of March - Fired FTC commissioners sue Trump administration over 'indefensible' terminations and then a month later (April), they asked for an expedited ruling - Fired FTC commissioners seek to fast-track case over dismissal

And here we are now in June and nothing has happened (or at least reported about until now).

If they had received some kind of stay in the firing pending adjudication of the case, then they could have at least been paid for their work (which is why they waited before seeking other employment). But since the court hadn't ruled yet and they are "fired", they are without income and had to make some kind of decision, which is what Bedoya went on and did to "formally" sever from federal employment as a Commissioner in order to get another job.