Republican lawmakers are now applying a healthy dose of pressure to President Joe Biden in order to force him to take action against Chinese owned social media app TikTok in the form of a divestiture — forcing the sale of the company to an American owned company — after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States came to the conclusion that the app poses a serious risk to our national security.
Of course, the chances of Biden actually taking that course of action are basically slim to none due to the fact he’s been in bed with the Chinese Communist Party for years, according to much of the evidence found on the now infamous Hunter Biden laptop and other documentation.
“CFIUS, a board composed of nine cabinet-level officials who weigh the national security implications of international investments, recently ordered ByteDance, the Chinese technology firm which owns TikTok, to sell the platform or face a nationwide ban. The agency initially concluded after a national security review in 2020 that TikTok could ‘impair the national security of the United States,’ a revelation that nearly prompted former President Donald Trump to ban the platform via executive order,” the Daily Wire reported.
In a letter sent Friday to the White House, Senate Banking Committee Chairman, Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican, along with Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry, a North Carolina Republican, stated that the findings should be enforced as worry over the threat TikTok poses continues to rise.
“We urge you to stand up to China and enforce this directive now. Congress stands ready to support you in doing so,” the lawmakers stated in the letter. “However, in the absence of decisive presidential action, Congress will take the steps necessary to address the national security risks presented by TikTok.”
Both Scott and McHenry added that the current administration “already possesses the existing authorities necessary to address the national security issues,” according to the results of the review.
“As public servants, we bear a profound responsibility to protect the well-being of future generations by mitigating potential hazards. In the digital realm, this entails equipping users with the knowledge required to navigate online risks,” the letter added. “We must empower parents with the tools to effectively monitor and comprehend their child’s online activities without compromising their child’s future.”
Another letter that was sent out back in March from Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, along with Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, pressed Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to force the divestment of TikTok from its parent company ByteDance. The two lawmakers made a reference to CFIUS which required the Beijing Kunlun Company to divest itself from the Grinder dating site and PatientsLikeMe healthcare platform under the leadership of former President Donald Trump.
Here’s more from the report:
Brooke Oberwetter, a spokeswoman for TikTok, said in reference to the divestiture order imposed earlier this year, which appears to remain unenforced, that divestment would not “solve the problem” of safeguarding national security since “a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access.”
Beyond the national security concerns, some lawmakers have drawn attention to the censorship practices implemented by TikTok and asserted that the company allows members of the Chinese Communist Party to access user data. Shou Zi Chew, the chief executive of TikTok, likewise insisted in his testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee two months ago that a forced sale of TikTok to an American company would not resolve the issues.
“I am well aware that the fact that ByteDance has Chinese founders has prompted concerns that our platform could be used as or become a tool of China or the Chinese Communist Party,” the executive commented. “Divestment doesn’t address the fundamental concerns that I have heard, as a change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access. This is not an issue of nationality.”
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