(UnitedHeadlines.com) – In an April 26 letter, Republicans Rep. Troy Nehls and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst called for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign to stop using TikTok until it divests from the Chinese-owned company ByteDance.
The letter notes that the app “has a proven track record of spying” on Americans, including “journalists reporting on the application’s CCP ties.”
In the letter, the lawmakers noted they were also concerned about other members of the Democratic Party, who are also using TikTok “to disseminate their political message” even though the app poses a security risk.
The letter mentions the Biden campaign’s deputy manager Rob Flaherty, who said it would be “silly” for the campaign to “write off” using TikTok. The lawmakers said it is “silly” to ignore “prioritize politics over protecting national security.” They called on Biden to lead by example and suspend his use of TikTok.
In an April 29 statement, Nehls noted that Biden’s campaign continues to use TikTok, despite concerns from officials and despite the legislation he signed on April 24 “acknowledging the national security threat” posed by the app, which has ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CPP). Nehls stated that the Biden campaign’s continued use of the app puts “politics over the safety of the American people.”
The legislation signed by Biden calls for ByteDance to sell TikTok to a “responsible U.S. buyer” within six months, or the app faces a ban in the U.S. However, Biden’s campaign noted that despite the legislation he signed, it would continue to use TikTok to attempt to reach younger voters, who appear to be leaning toward voting for former President Donald Trump. A Biden campaign official added that the campaign has put “enhanced security measures” in place.
Launched on Feb. 12, the TikTok account for the Biden campaign, “bidenhq,” has posted more than 100 videos, most critical of the presumptive Republican nominee for president, Trump, and has over 312,000 followers.
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