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Joshua Wright served as FTC Commissioner from 2013 to 2015. Still courtesy of C-Span.
Summary: Conservative and former FTC commissioner Joshua Wright will join antitrust firm, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
Former FTC commissioner Joshua Wright has just been hired by a leading antitrust firm, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. BuzzFeed reports that Wright is linked to the firm through Google, who the firm represented in an antitrust inquiry.
Wright’s ties to Google stems from his work as a law professor. He was under scrutiny after publishing an academic paper defending the Internet company. People criticized him because the defense was funded by groups funded by Google.
Before Wright joined the FTC, Google faced an antitrust inquiry from the agency. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati represented Google in the inquiry, which was closed in 2013 and no charges were filed.
When Wright was sworn in as FTC commissioner, the Google issue was brought up, and he swore to recuse himself from Google-related matters for two years. However, BuzzFeed reports that Wright tweeted his support for Google in July 2015, a time when he was still working for the FTC.
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Would anyone find it relevant to an antitrust claim against Burger King if a survey showed consumers love when u replace BK fries with McDs?
— Joshua Wright (@ProfWrightGMU) July 1, 2015
Wright served as the commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission from January 2013 to August 2015. The Washington Post wrote that the Republican Wright developed a reputation as the agency’s most conservative commissioner. He frequently dissented to antitrust enforcement actions brought on by Democratic leaders. When he stepped down, he pledged to support compromise guidelines, even if they weren’t as conservative as he preferred.
Wright will serve as senior counsel of the Washington office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. According to BuzzFeed, all FTC senior employees are barred from representing companies in cases before the agency for one year after their departure.
Source: BuzzFeed
Source:Â The Wall Street Journal
Screenshot source: C-Span
