New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D) announced Wednesday that former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan will serve as one of the co-leads for his transition team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Khan, who headed the FTC under President Biden, will join three longtime New York City Hall veterans in steering Mamdani\u2019s transition efforts, according to a statement released by the mayor-elect\u2019s office, The Hill reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNew Yorkers sent a clear message this week that it\u2019s time to build a city that working people can actually afford. I\u2019m excited to help Zohran build a team that will usher in a new era for New York City and set a new model for Democratic governance,\u201d Khan said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur transition leaders will help build a City Hall committed to excellence, integrity and a hunger to solve old problems with new solutions. Together, we will show the nation how government can deliver when we put the people, not billionaires, first,\u201d Mamdani added in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Khan was a central \u2014 and highly controversial \u2014 figure in former Biden\u2019s antitrust and consumer protection agenda. As head of the FTC, she launched sweeping crackdowns on corporate mergers and led efforts to target what the administration labeled \u201cunfair business practices,\u201d including so-called junk fees and mandatory arbitration clauses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Progressives hailed her as a hero for taking on corporate America, but her heavy-handed tactics \u2014 particularly against Big Tech \u2014 backfired politically. Biden\u2019s war on Silicon Valley helped drive a wave of influential tech leaders toward the political right, many of whom now see President Donald Trump\u2019s pro-business agenda as the only real counterbalance to the left\u2019s regulatory crusade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before joining the Biden administration, Khan taught at Columbia Law School in New York and served as a legal adviser to former FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra, sharpening the left-wing, anti-corporate philosophy that would later define her tenure at the agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n