Kamala Harris Would Fire FTC Chief Lina Khan If She Wins: Jim Cramer

Vice President Kamala Harris would get rid of Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Lina Khan if she defeats former President Donald Trump in the November election and replaces President Joe Biden, according to CNBC commentator Jim Cramer.

“I don’t need to discuss Lina Khan any more, (because) everyone knows my views and there’s no need to repeat them,” Cramer, who once called her an “empty suit” and a “one-woman crew that’s going to destroy your stock portfolio,” said during his Monday morning show.

Cramer also predicted that if Harris takes over as president following Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 nomination race, she would also dismiss Jonathan Kanter, assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.

Jim Cramer said Kamala Harris will fire Lina Khan and Jonathan Kanter over their antitrust cases against big tech companies, noting that Tony West, Harris’ adviser and brother-in-law, is Uber’s general counsel. photo:twitter.com/4RJXabOvtI

— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) July 22, 2024

“I’ll say Jonathan Kanter, at the end… he’s leaving,” Cramer said. “Khan’s leaving.”

Under Khan, the FTC investigated Amazon’s marketing practices. It also filed a lawsuit against Facebook’s parent company, Meta.

Khan’s FTC also investigated Google for its online advertising and search engine practices, and Apple for its alleged anticompetitive practices related to the App Store.

“Those people are leaving,” the CNBC analyst said of Khan and Kanter, adding that a Harris presidency would promote “people who are not as negative about technology.”

Cramer said Kanter and the Justice Department were “antagonistic to the point where they started mocking Apple, saying, ‘Look, your iPhone is too good. We have to stop this.'”

In March, the Justice Department announced it would file a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the iPhone maker of creating an illegal monopoly in the smartphone market that eliminates competition, limits innovation and artificially inflates prices.

Apple called the lawsuit “factually and legally flawed” and said it “will vigorously defend itself.”

On CNBC, Cramer said he agreed that Harris’ candidacy was “positive for markets and American business.”

Cramer slammed Biden, saying he has “no idea how business works” and “is inherently ignorant about the stock market.”

He said the president “is choosing people who have historically been bad for Wall Street.”

“You have a person from California” who is “mega-tech” and “understands California and is not anti-tech,” Cramer said of Harris, who served as a U.S. senator and attorney general before being tapped as Biden’s vice presidential running mate in 2020.

Cramer continued, saying that “Biden has done everything he can in these agencies to irritate and attack technology.”

Cramer praised Harris, calling her a “moderate” and noted that her brother-in-law, Tony West, was the former general counsel at PepsiCo before taking the same job at ride-sharing app Uber.

“Tell me, is there anyone who is more sophisticated and knows more about business and the West Coast than her brother-in-law who would be an incredible advisor,” Cramer said.

The Post reached out to Harris, the FTC and the Justice Department for comment.