Herbalife has stepped up its attempt to head off a possible probe by the Federal Trade Commission, The Post has learned.
The nutritional-supplements company sent out an email recently to all its distributors asking them to write their members of Congress about their positive Herbalife experiences.
“You have the most compelling story to tell,” CEO Michael Johnson told them in the email, a copy of which The Post has seen.
The Johnson letter was sent weeks after a Washington lawmaker wrote to the FTC asking it to investigate the Los Angeles company as a possible pyramid scheme.
Additional lawmakers are expected to write letters to the FTC, The Post has reported, and Johnson’s email is aimed at heading off that effort.
“We believe one or more members of the House of Representatives will circulate a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter to other Members of Congress urging the FTC … to investigate Herbalife,” he wrote. “Some lawmakers are concerned that Herbalife is taking advantage of minorities, especially Latinos.”
Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, sent a letter, and other Caucus members are weighing their own missive.
The letters came after hedge-fund activist Bill Ackman famously called the company a pyramid scheme and put a $1 billion short on its stock.
Herbalife has denied the claims — and the market doesn’t seem worried. The stock is up 76 percent this year — almost 30 percent in July alone — and closed yesterday at $58.06, down 1.8 percent.