{"id":2206187,"date":"2024-03-26T03:41:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T07:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-allied-lawmakers-charity-scored-cash-from-tiktoks-chinese-parent-company-before-key-vote\/"},"modified":"2024-03-26T03:45:46","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T07:45:46","slug":"biden-allied-lawmakers-charity-scored-cash-from-tiktoks-chinese-parent-company-before-key-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-allied-lawmakers-charity-scored-cash-from-tiktoks-chinese-parent-company-before-key-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"A lawmaker with ties to Biden&#8217;s administration received funding from the Chinese parent company of TikTok prior to a crucial vote"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">42<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-allied-lawmakers-charity-scored-cash-from-tiktoks-chinese-parent-company-before-key-vote%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2206187&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A foundation linked to a veteran House \u200dDemocrat received funding \u2064from China&#8217;s ByteDance \u200cbefore he\u2064 voted against a bill involving TikTok divestment. Rep. James Clyburn diverged from President Joe Biden&#8217;s stance on anti-TikTok legislation,\u200c sparking concerns about financial\u200d influence on political decisions.\u200d ByteDance&#8217;s\u2064 donations\u200c raise scrutiny on the company&#8217;s influence as TikTok faces \u200bpotential ownership changes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A foundation tied to a veteran House Democrat accepted checks from China\u2019s ByteDance before he voted against a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/2931657\/house-democrats-voted-against-anti-tiktok-bill-cash-lobbying-army\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>bill<\/a> that would make the company divest from the popular social media app <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tiktok\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>TikTok<\/a>, records show. <\/p>\n<p>Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) in March diverged from his ally President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a>, who supports anti-TikTok legislation, in opposing the bipartisan Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which may lead to TikTok being banned in the United States over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blackburn-introduces-amendments-to-counter-china-and-iran\/\" title=\"Blackburn Introduces Amendments to Counter China and Iran\">national security concerns<\/a> from lawmakers. Clyburn, who has personally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/2931657\/house-democrats-voted-against-anti-tiktok-bill-cash-lobbying-army\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>received campaign donations<\/a> from TikTok\u2019s lobbying army, saw at least $40,000 in recent years flood into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jecsrf.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>nonprofit<\/a> organization affiliated with him, according to congressional lobbying disclosures. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t say for a fact that his position is due to the money, but it\u2019s perfectly reasonable to be concerned about financial incentives leading to political incentives,\u201d said Ryan Mauro, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/as-taliban-takeovers-paints-gloom-in-afghanistan-biden-vows-to-stay-out-of-it\/\" title=\"As Taliban Takeovers Paints Gloom In Afghanistan, Biden Vows To Stay Out Of It\">national security analyst<\/a> and investigative researcher for the conservative Capital Research Center think tank. \u201cGenerally, it\u2019s concerning how politicians often take positions they otherwise might not at the expense of the country they\u2019re supposed to represent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The grants from ByteDance, of which China\u2019s government in 2019\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/deals\/exclusive-fretting-about-data-security-chinas-government-expands-its-use-golden-2021-12-15\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">took<\/a>\u00a0a 1% stake and which has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/?p=1703657\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>spied<\/a> on American journalists, underscores the company\u2019s sprawling influence as it stares down what could be the end of its ownership of TikTok. The anti-TikTok bill is bipartisan and faces an uncertain future in the Senate \u2014 though Biden has said he would sign the bill into law if it clears the upper chamber. <\/p>\n<p>TikTok spokeswoman Jodi Seth declined to say if there\u2019s any broader relationship between ByteDance and Clyburn\u2019s office. \u201cThis was a donation to a 501(c)(3) organization that provides need-based scholarships to students hoping to go to college,\u201d Seth, who used to be a top aide to then-Massachusetts Democratic Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-kerry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>John Kerry<\/a> until 2013, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) welcomes President Joe Biden at the First in the Nation Celebration held by the South Carolina Democratic Party at the State Fairgrounds, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in Columbia, South Carolina. (AP Photo\/Artie Walker Jr.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Clyburn, 83, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/2931657\/house-democrats-voted-against-anti-tiktok-bill-cash-lobbying-army\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>told<\/a> the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> last week that his opposition to the TikTok bill is due to concern about \u201csingling out one company but ignoring the transgressions of others.\u201d In a statement to NBC News, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/live-blog\/tiktok-ban-house-vote-live-updates-rcna143164\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> there are many Chinese companies in his South Carolina district that \u201cmake refrigerators and all kinds of stuff\u201d and expressed concerns about potentially alienating the youth vote in the 2024 election by threatening TikTok. <\/p>\n<p>In 2023, ByteDance sprinkled $20,000 into the James E. Clyburn Scholarship and Research Foundation, which is \u201ccommitted to educating the community by advocating for continuous process of education, career, and life development,\u201d according to lobbying <a href=\"https:\/\/lda.senate.gov\/filings\/public\/contribution\/2bcfcf27-28b5-4f41-bed2-14b0c732a2a0\/print\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>disclosures<\/a>. It was just one of four donations that ByteDance reported on its year-end lobbying contribution report transmitted to the Senate, along with $10,000 to the National Consumers League, $150,000 to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and $155,000 to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. <\/p>\n<p>The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/?p=1812901\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>counts<\/a> \u201cSquad\u201d Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who joined Clyburn in opposing the TikTok bill, on its advisory council. TikTok lobbyist Jesse Price was listed by the institute on its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mark-zuckerberg-attempts-to-dismiss-documentary-exposing-his-400-million-effort-to-elect-biden\/\" title=\"Mark Zuckerberg Attempts to Dismiss Documentary Exposing His 0 Million Effort to Elect Biden\">tax forms filed<\/a> in November 2022 as a director, though not in 2023, following a <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2352013\/tiktok-lobbyist-on-board-of-aoc-advised-group-funded-by-chinas-bytedance-influence-peddling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>report<\/a> on his role. <\/p>\n<p>That grant wasn\u2019t the first time, as ByteDance, which has spent tens of millions of dollars on lobbying since 2019, also sent $20,000 to the James E. Clyburn Scholarship and Research Foundation in 2021, lobbying <a href=\"https:\/\/lda.senate.gov\/filings\/public\/contribution\/b874bfb0-b513-41de-8aa9-e39895ac5784\/print\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>disclosures<\/a> show.<\/p>\n<p>In the case of the 2021 donation, it was one of only two contributions that ByteDance reported on its year-end lobbying report. The other grant was $10,000 to support Taste of the South, a ritzy annual gala in Washington, D.C., <a href=\"https:\/\/tasteofthesouth.org\/sponsors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>sponsored<\/a> by major corporations. <\/p>\n<p>Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), who voted in favor of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bill-taking-aim-at-amazon-warehouse-production-quotas-passes-california-senate\/\" title=\"Bill Taking Aim At Amazon Warehouse Production Quotas Passes California Senate\">bill taking aim<\/a> at TikTok, thinks there\u2019s a clear connection between how Clyburn voted on the bill and donations to his campaign and foundation. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you are ever going to change Washington, D.C., for the better, you have to get the money out of Washington, D.C.,\u201d Nehls, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cIt should concern us all. Now you know why he didn\u2019t support the legislation. You know the old adage, follow the money? There you go.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The James E. Clyburn Scholarship and Research Foundation has previously come under the spotlight for taking $1.6 million from corporations. <a href=\"https:\/\/prospect.org\/power\/clyburn-corporate-foundation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>According to<\/a> the <em>American Prospect<\/em>, a progressive-leaning news outlet, the foundation is \u201ca way for the congressman to use his immense political and fundraising power to benefit young people and families, including constituents in his district.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clyburn\u2019s ties to corporations notably prompted then-Harvard University professor Cornel West, a left-wing activist running for president in 2024 as an independent, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CornelWest\/status\/1296086380943036416\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>to call<\/a> the South Carolina Democrat \u201cpartly an extension of Big Pharma companies\u201d in 2020. <\/p>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<blockquote data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Even my dear brother Clyburn, he\u2019s one of the major recipients of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/opioid-lawsuits-in-nyc-l-a-move-forward\/\" title=\"Opioid lawsuits in NYC, L.A. move forward\">big pharmaceutical companies<\/a>. So he\u2019s not gonna come out for Medicare for All, he\u2019s partly an extension of Big Pharma companies.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Cornel West (@CornelWest) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CornelWest\/status\/1296086380943036416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 19, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The pharmaceutical and health products industry has given Clyburn over $1 million since 2007, the <em>Post and Courier<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.md\/3aZFr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a> in 2018, noting he received more than any other member during that time period. <\/p>\n<p>A spokeswoman for Clyburn declined to answer questions about ByteDance, telling\u00a0the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, \u201cThe James E. Clyburn Scholarship and Research Foundation has been in existence for 35 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Records indicate that a foundation linked to a seasoned House Democrat received donations from China&#8217;s ByteDance. This funding preceded the lawmaker&#8217;s vote against a bill requiring the company to divest from TikTok, a move contrary to President Joe Biden&#8217;s stance on anti-TikTok legislation. Rep. James Clyburn broke ranks with the President in March<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2206188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP24028052752451-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2206187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP24028052752451-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2206187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2206187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2206187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2206188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2206187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2206187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2206187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}