Kellyanne Conway, a former senior Trump administration aide, is lobbying Congress against banning the controversial app TikTok.
politiko Conservative activist group Club for Growth reported that Conway was paid to represent TikTok. This comes as Congress nears passing legislation that would force the sale of the controversial app from its Chinese parent company ByteDance.
Conway Said politiko It said it would be “draconian” and “reckless” to “alienate 170 million monthly users in the United States.”
“If you want to hold China accountable, why start with TikTok instead of the coronavirus crisis, the fentanyl crisis, the persecution of Uighurs, and the roots of Taiwan’s vulnerability?” she said.
A former aide to President Trump reportedly said: share A poll she conducted for the club found that while nearly half of independent voters are less likely to vote for a candidate who would vote to ban the app, a plurality of Republican users (40%) agree. There was found.
The move comes as Club for Growth donor Jeffrey Yass owns a 15% stake in ByteDance. Club for Growth has been vocal in opposing efforts to ban TikTok.
Former President Donald Trump praised Yas as “amazing” while attending a Club for Growth retreat.
President Trump tried to remove TikTok from app stores during his administration, but struck a different tone, saying banning TikTok would only empower Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s platform. I took it.
“If we eliminate TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business,” Trump said in a Thursday post on Truth Social.
“We don’t want Facebook to do better after they cheated in the last election. They are the true enemy of the people!” the 45th president said.
Many Trump supporters now seem to be more open to Tiktok.
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswami has become more open about the app, Tucker Carlson has joined the platform, and Elon Musk, who recently met with Trump, agrees with Trump’s post defending TikTok. did.
What Trump said there was correct.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 8, 2024
Trump strategist Alex Brucewicz Said“There is no need to rush this in the middle of an election year when Gen Z is making great strides.”
“MAGA content is doing very well on TikTok. And the meta is suppressing MAGA content on both Facebook and Instagram,” Brusewitz added.
Former President Trump press secretary Sean Spicer responded to the remarks by saying: politiko Report: “Those who lobby on behalf of TikTok and help advance the goals of the Chinese Communist Party must apply to the Department of Justice as foreign nationals.” [sic] Agent. “
Anyone lobbying on behalf of TikTok and helping advance the Chinese Communist Party’s goals will need to apply to the Department of Justice as a foreign agent. https://t.co/ytewBdHXnx
— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) March 10, 2024
But President Trump’s stance on banning TikTok poses an obstacle for Congress.The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously voted passed it This is a bipartisan bill that would force ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a national ban. The chamber will likely vote on the floor Wednesday. President Joe Biden has indicated he intends to sign the bill if it passes both houses of Congress.
Specifically, in October 2020, Facebook new york post The article included information that Joe Biden allegedly met with an adviser to the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma while he was vice president and his son Hunter worked as a lobbyist for the company. .
Peter Schweitzer’s book, Blood Money: Why those in power turn a blind eye while China kills Americanssays the Chinese government is using TikTok as a “modern-day Trojan horse” to inject propaganda into American youth.
Schweitzer, senior contributor to Breitbart News and director of the Government Accountability Institute, explains: blood money How did Zeng Huafeng of the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) discuss how to defeat the United States without going to direct war?
Zeng defines “cognitive space” as “the area where emotions, perceptions, understandings, beliefs, and values reside,” and argues that this is where the battle can be won. To that end, the Chinese government must use information and popular psychological and “Cultural products” need to be utilized. According to Zeng, cultural tools such as apps, video games, and movies should be used to “target individuals, groups, countries, and even people around the world.”
Schweitzer writes: blood money Chinese strategists have touted TikTok as “information-driven psychological warfare” against the United States.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter at Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
