Biden’s failed pick of Gigi Sohn for FCC post shows influence of dark money on U.S. politics

Gigi Sohn, who withdrew her long-delayed nomination by the Biden administration for the Federal Communications Commission, at Georgetown University Law Center, where she is a fellow at the Institute for Technology Law & Policy. (Andrew Harnik / AP)

WASHINGTON — When President Joe Biden nominated Gigi Sohn to serve on the Federal Communications Commission, the longtime consumer advocate expected to face criticism over her desire to expand free Internet access and improve competition among broadband providers.

But Sohn found herself targeted by the American Accountability Foundation, a conservative group that doesn’t have to disclose its donors. It called Sohn too partisan, anti-police and soft on sex trafficking and paid for ads to torpedo her nomination.