Enlarge / Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairwoman Edith Ramirez testifying in Congress last May. A conservative group says Ramirez has taken antitrust positions, including the recent suit against Qualcomm, “that weaken US patent rights.”

The FTC sued Qualcomm last week just days before President Trump took the oath of office. The FTC lawsuit says that Qualcomm’s patent licensing practices amount to an illegal “patent tax” on smartphone makers who choose non-Qualcomm processors.

Yesterday, conservative groups including Americans for Tax Reform and the American Conservative Union sent a letter (PDF) to the White House calling the FTC lawsuit “midnight regulation at its worst,” a misuse of antitrust law to “undercut patent property rights and conservative free market principles.” The letter was first reported by Morning Consult.