Two Republican legislators are urging President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign to halt its utilization of TikTok as long as the platform remains under the ownership of ByteDance, a company with links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“Despite acknowledging the national security threat posed by TikTok through enacted legislation, Joe Biden’s presidential campaign persists in its use of the platform, disregarding the significant concerns raised by officials within his own administration,” stated Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, in a press release on Monday.
Nehls, alongside Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, penned a letter to Biden last Friday expressing apprehensions about his campaign’s utilization of the platform.
“By continuing to employ TikTok, Joe Biden is prioritizing politics over the safety of the American populace,” Nehls emphasized. “I am honored to collaborate with Sen. Ernst in urging Joe Biden to suspend the use of his campaign’s TikTok account until it is no longer under the control of the CCP, prioritizing the welfare of the American people.”
Last Wednesday, Biden signed legislation mandating ByteDance to divest from the social media platform within six months or face potential banning of the app in the U.S. However, his reelection campaign announced the same day that it intends to persist with the platform’s usage, particularly since younger voters seem to be gravitating more towards former President Donald Trump, the presumed Republican nominee.
Since its launch in February, the Biden campaign’s TikTok account has garnered over 312,000 followers.
“TikTok has a documented history of surveilling U.S. citizens,” noted the letter from Nehls and Ernst. “Executives of China-based ByteDance utilized TikTok to surveil American journalists who reported on the application’s ties to the CCP. ByteDance staff reportedly possessed a search tool enabling access to the friends lists of U.S. politicians and their families – including members of your own family.
“Regrettably, your campaign appears poised to disregard the warnings issued by officials within your own administration. On Feb. 12, your campaign established a presence on TikTok, despite the longstanding security concerns associated with employing CCP-linked spyware. We are equally concerned about the numerous members of your party who maintain TikTok accounts, utilizing the platform to propagate their political message despite the inherent risks associated with the application.”
In justifying the campaign’s decision to remain on TikTok, the letter referenced Rob Flaherty, the Biden campaign’s deputy manager, who stated, “We would be silly to write off any place where people are getting information about the president.”
“We respectfully disagree,” countered the lawmakers. “What would be imprudent is to prioritize political considerations over safeguarding national security. The national security risks posed by TikTok are significant. Until TikTok ceases to be under CCP control, we urge you to suspend your campaign’s TikTok account.
“Leadership sets the tone from the top, and we trust that you can set a commendable example for the many Americans using TikTok by suspending the use of this application until we can ascertain its safety.”
