U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who recently received a classified briefing on the influential social media app TikTok, is in favor of legislation that would force its Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest from the app which Blackburn calls “spyware.” The MAGA politician, who is running for re-election, says the app is “being weaponized” against Americans.
[NOTE: Former President and presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump appears to be against the ban as considered in a bill the House passed on March 13. Trump, who pushed to ban or force the sale of TikTok while he was President, now says banning the Chinese app would benefit Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, with whom Trump has clashed.]
Today on Fox News, Blackburn said she has received 1,600 calls in her office, presumably from those who fear a federal government ban of TikTok. She said of the callers: “They have threatened suicide. They’ve threatened to kill the president. They’ve threatened to kill me.”
TikTok’s campaign to stop lawmakers has demonstrated the true danger and influence of the Chinese Communist Party.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) March 21, 2024
We must act now. pic.twitter.com/FZcB5yTERG
Blackburn says the Capitol Police and the FBI — which she often claims is “weaponizing” its power against former President Trump — are investigating the calls.
The Senator elaborated on one call in particular. Blackburn says the call has been tracked down and the Capitol Police have “contacted the parents and the school about this kid that wanted to kill me.” She added, “These parents need to see if their kids are involved in this because this is a criminal act.” Blackburn suggests that the government move swiftly “to shut this off.”
The TikTok ban initiative has made for strange bedfellows in Congress, with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) both voting against it.
[NOTE: OpenSecrets reports that ByteDance investor Jeff Yass has been the biggest political donor so far to outside spending groups in the 2024 election cycle, donating more than $46 million — all to conservative causes and PACs. The top 5 donators on the list all gave exclusively to conservative groups, with $20 million being the smallest contribution.]
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