Facebook calls on FTC chair Khan to recuse from antitrust case

Details: In its petition, Facebook argues that Khan's public criticism and previous work make it seem she has already prejudged the company's antitrust liability. Facebook cites:

• Khan's work for antitrust advocacy group Open Markets Institute.
• Academic writing in which Facebook says Khan discussed her "belief that Facebook violated the antitrust laws."
• Khan's work in the House Judiciary Committee's investigation of competition in the digital marketplace, which focused on Facebook and other tech companies.
• Public appearances and statements, including a New York Times interview.
• Twitter posts in which Khan commented on the FTC's lawsuit against Facebook.

What they're saying: "Chair Khan has consistently made well-documented statements about Facebook and antitrust matters that would lead any reasonable observer to conclude that she has prejudged the Facebook antitrust case brought by the FTC," a Facebook spokesperson said.

• "To protect the fairness and impartiality of these proceedings, we have requested that Chair Khan recuse herself from involvement with the FTC’s antitrust case against Facebook."
• An FTC spokesperson declined comment.

The big picture: Amazon made similar arguments about Khan's previous work and statements in seeking her recusal in a petition earlier this month.