Democrats push FTC to investigate Trump Mobile

Elizabeth Warren and other Democrat lawmakers have written an open letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asking for an investigation into alleged “false advertising and deceptive practices” from Trump Mobile. The company first announced its T1 Phone more than six months ago, but is yet to ship a single phone to buyers.

The letter asks if the FTC has already opened an investigation into Trump Mobile’s apparent violations, and if not, why not, before asking the agency to “commit to treating Trump Mobile according to the same standards and enforcement priorities applied to other companies.”

“The American people deserve to know that consumer protection laws apply equally to all businesses, regardless of political connections,” the letter states. “The FTC’s response to any violations of consumer protection law by Trump Mobile will serve as a critical test of the FTC’s independence and commitment to its mission of ‘protecting the public from deceptive or unfair business practices.’”

Warren and several of the other lawmakers behind the letter had signed a separate letter last summer addressed to the heads of the FTC and several other agencies to ask how they would avoid “undue political influence” around regulation of Trump Mobile. Today’s letter notes that Warren and the other lawmakers “received no response from the FTC.”

Got inside information on Trump Mobile or the Trump Phone? Reach out securely from a personal device to tips@theverge.com, or see our How to Tip Us page.