Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is urging President Biden to “redirect” his campaign participation on video streaming platform TikTok. .
“If we continue down this path, we are effectively ceding control of the news media to a hostile foreign country,” Gallagher said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. “That is unacceptable. I urge the President’s Gen Z TikTok adult campaign staff to reverse course in the interest of national security.”
The Biden campaign joined TikTok over the weekend, debuting its presence with a video of Biden watching the Super Bowl and answering questions about the big game. Since then, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have cited concerns about the security of U.S. data on TikTok and ByteDance’s ties to the Chinese government, citing concerns about the security of U.S. data on TikTok and ByteDance’s ties to the Chinese government. has expressed concern.
Gallagher noted that some members of Biden’s cabinet, including FBI Director Christopher Wray, have said TikTok poses national security concerns. TikTok is banned on government devices in many states, and it is also banned on federal devices due to these concerns.
“So we have Biden’s hand-picked advisers here telling him that this is effectively a tool or a weapon of the Chinese Communist Party, and he’s ignoring it. Why? ? Appeal to anti-Semitic 18-year-olds to vote and get progressive clicks during the campaign period,” Gallagher said.
“It’s not a serious move. It’s not serious leadership. It’s not a serious national move,” he added.
Mr Gallagher, who is not running for re-election, suggested the popular platform should be banned in the US. A group of lawmakers last week called on the Biden administration to add ByteDance to the export control list to “address critical vulnerabilities created by the company’s access to U.S. software.”
“By the way, India banned TikTok, but that was not the end of the country. There is a thriving technology and social media ecosystem there. And we have to do the same. I think either a ban or a sale or a separation makes the most sense,” Gallagher said.
He also said he would work with Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to help address security concerns surrounding TikTok. Warner said he was concerned about the Biden campaign’s move to join TikTok on Monday.
“At the end of the day, I think the Chinese Communist Party not only has access to data, but more importantly, it could potentially drive algorithms about what you’re looking at,” Warner added. “I’m a little worried about the mixed messages.”
TikTok is pushing back against claims that it poses a national security threat.
The Hill has reached out to the Biden campaign for comment.
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