Republican lawmakers question FTC over reviews of energy deals – Fox Business

Republican lawmakers are questioning the Federal Trade Commission and its chair, Lina Khan, over its reviews of two very highly publicized deals in the energy space.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Sen. Mike Lee, (R-UT), sent a letter Monday to Khan and the FTC, which raised concerns related to settlement agreements they claim weren’t related to the competitive effects of mergers, according to a Fox Business report on Monday, which cited the letter.

“Recent cases suggest that the FTC under your leadership is pursuing settlements not because there is harm to competition, but due to political pressure from Democrats in Congress,” Jordan and Lee wrote in the letter to Khan.

The lawmakers were specifically addressing consent decrees made in the Exxon’s (NYSE:XOM) purchase of Pioneer and Chevron’s (NYSE:CVX) agreement to purchase Hess (NYSE:HES).

The letter requests that the FTC provide documents and communications related to the consent decrees.