As Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani readies himself to assume the leadership of New York City this coming January, his transition team is already shaping the public conversation about the direction his administration might take. One of his most prominent advisers and cochair of his transition effort, Lina Khan, has offered illuminating insights into how Mamdani could confront and restrain what she called “corporate lawbreakers”—a term that refers to powerful businesses or institutions that engage in illegal or exploitative practices. During a recent episode of *The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart* on Thursday evening, Khan joined the well-known host to discuss the upcoming administration’s approach to corporate accountability, offering a rare glimpse into the mechanisms through which a city government can challenge entrenched economic power.
Stewart, in his characteristically probing style, asked Khan to clarify the extent of a mayor’s influence over policy decisions and legal enforcement within the city’s vast bureaucratic structure. Khan responded by emphasizing that while certain aspects of municipal governance—such as major tax proposals—require coordination with the city council or even collaboration with the state governor, there remain important zones of authority that lie exclusively within the mayor’s discretion. Among these, she noted, are specific city agencies empowered to pursue legal action against corporations that violate consumer or labor laws. “If you identify corporate lawbreakers,” Khan explained, “the administration can take action through the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection,” an agency dedicated to safeguarding both consumers and employees from unfair corporate behavior.
This department, known by its acronym DCWP—the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection—explicitly defines its mission as one of defending and improving the conditions of all participants in the city’s economy. According to its official statements, the agency strives to protect and enhance the quality of life of those who engage in the marketplace, including consumers seeking fairness, businesses pursuing healthy competition, and workers striving for equitable treatment. By invoking the DCWP, Khan illustrated that a mayor’s power extends beyond mere policymaking to direct enforcement of laws that uphold economic justice at the local level.
Before assuming her present role on Mamdani’s transition team, Khan served as the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission from 2021 until early January of this year, when Andrew N. Ferguson succeeded her in that position. Her tenure at the FTC was characterized by a vigorous and uncompromising pursuit of antitrust enforcement and a renewed focus on consumer protection—an agenda that frequently put her at odds with powerful segments of the corporate world, particularly within Silicon Valley and the technology industry. Under her leadership, the FTC initiated major investigations, including a high-profile inquiry into Amazon Prime’s subscription practices, and filed a significant lawsuit against Meta in an attempt to block one of the company’s planned acquisitions. These efforts underscored Khan’s commitment to challenging monopolistic behavior and demonstrated her broader philosophy that regulatory institutions should serve as bulwarks against corporate dominance.
During her conversation with Stewart, Khan reflected on the contrasts between working at the national level—as she did at the FTC—and operating within the more localized scope of city government. While acknowledging that a municipal administration naturally exercises power within a more limited geographical boundary, she emphasized the breadth and diversity of tools available to a city leader seeking to influence residents’ daily lives. Using examples drawn from Mamdani’s campaign platform, she pointed to issues such as rent affordability, childcare accessibility, and improvements to public transit as areas where mayoral authority could bring about practical, visible change. She further noted that several New York City agencies mirror the structure and purpose of the FTC in that they, too, possess instruments for consumer protection and economic oversight, though others are oriented toward supporting small business growth and entrepreneurship.
Khan extended her reflection by posing deeper questions about the fundamental character of economic development in a city as complex as New York. She asked how an administration might construct a fairer economic landscape—one that genuinely creates a level playing field for small and medium-sized businesses, which often face formidable challenges when competing against large, well-funded corporate entities. She stressed that policymakers must choose whether to pursue economic growth that disproportionately benefits major corporations or one that deliberately balances opportunity across the economic spectrum. In doing so, Khan effectively linked the discussion of legal enforcement with the moral and strategic dimensions of economic fairness.
Mamdani’s rise to City Hall has itself drawn national attention. Earlier this month, he achieved a decisive electoral victory over both former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo—who reentered the political scene as an independent candidate after Mamdani’s triumph in the Democratic primary—and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. His win resonated across ideological divides, capturing the interest of progressives, centrists, and conservatives alike for what it represents in generational and cultural terms. At just his current age, Mamdani becomes the youngest individual to hold the mayoralty in New York City in more than a century, as well as the first Muslim ever to occupy the position.
However, his campaign was not without controversy. Several powerful figures from the business and financial elite, including former Mayor Mike Bloomberg and billionaire investor Bill Ackman, publicly criticized Mamdani’s policy agenda and questioned his readiness to govern, citing what they viewed as limited executive experience. These critics poured millions of dollars into efforts supporting Andrew Cuomo’s independent run, forming a counterweight to Mamdani’s grassroots movement. Yet, despite the considerable influence and resources marshaled against him, Mamdani secured a decisive victory that many interpreted as a repudiation of big-money politics.
Speaking at a press conference on November 5, shortly after the election results were announced, Lina Khan did not hesitate to frame the outcome in broader political and ethical terms. Denouncing what she described as the undue influence of corporate wealth over democratic processes, she proclaimed, “What we saw last night was New Yorkers not merely choosing a new mayor, but rejecting a model of politics dominated by excessive corporate power and monetary sway.” Her words encapsulated the transformational tone of the moment: a call for a future city government that prioritizes public well-being, transparency, and fairness over the interests of large-scale private capital. In essence, Khan’s remarks, combined with her detailed discussion with Stewart, painted a vision of an administration prepared to reimagine how city governance can serve as a frontline mechanism for economic justice and democratic integrity.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/lina-khan-how-zohran-mamdani-could-take-on-corporate-lawbreakers-2025-11
