Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Rep. Troy Neals (R-Texas) on Monday urged President Biden to lead by example over the national security threat posed by Chinese-owned apps. He called for a temporary suspension of the campaign’s use of TikTok.
Despite the president’s failure to sign into law last week a bill requiring Chinese government-backed company ByteDance to exit TikTok within nine months, the Biden campaign continues to use the popular social media platform. There is.
“Your presidential campaign defiantly continues to use TikTok, ignoring serious concerns raised by your own administration officials,” the two Republicans wrote. in the letter To the 81-year-old president.
“We call on you to suspend use of your TikTok account until ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese owner, sells the application to a responsible U.S. buyer,” Ernst and Nehls demanded.
Hours after Biden signed the TikTok bill (H.R. 815), his campaign released a video on the app that mocks incumbent President Donald Trump’s belief that windmills cause cancer. Posted on.
The TikTok account bidenhq, which frequently takes aim at the Republican presidential candidate, has more than 300,000 followers and has posted more than 100 videos since its launch in February.
Biden campaign officials last week defended the use of the app, saying, “The fragmented media environment requires us to show up and meet voters where they are, and that includes online.”
“TikTok is one of the many places we’re working to make sure voters see our content,” the spokesperson added, adding that in 2024, “TikTok is one of the many places we’re working to make sure our content is seen by voters.” We can’t afford not to use all the tools we have,” he said. ”
The official noted that the campaign has “enhanced security measures” in place.
Ernst and Nehrs accused the president of putting “politics over national security.”
“The national security threat posed by TikTok is serious,” they said. “Until TikTok disappears” [ Chinese Communist Party] thank you. Please pause your TikTok account. ”
“Leadership starts at the top. We hope that by pausing the use of this application until we know it is safe to use, you will set a good example for the many Americans who use TikTok. .”
Biden administration officials warned that Americans’ data could be at risk while in ByteDance’s hands.
“As every American should be concerned, we are concerned about data security and how ByteDance and the Chinese Communist Party are using the information they can collect from Americans’ use of their applications,” White House National Security Council Press Secretary John Johns said in a statement. “I am concerned about what can be done.” Kirby said last month.
“Do we want the data from TikTok, the data of children, the data of adults, to stay here in the United States or do we want it to go to China?” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in March. , said this when discussing the TikTok bill.
“That’s the fundamental issue at issue here,” he added. “And the president has made his position clear on that fundamental issue.”
