{"id":2231438,"date":"2024-04-27T07:38:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-27T11:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tiktok-goes-on-offense-against-lawmakers-who-voted-for-a-ban-while-keeping-accounts\/"},"modified":"2024-04-27T07:42:47","modified_gmt":"2024-04-27T11:42:47","slug":"tiktok-goes-on-offense-against-lawmakers-who-voted-for-a-ban-while-keeping-accounts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tiktok-goes-on-offense-against-lawmakers-who-voted-for-a-ban-while-keeping-accounts\/","title":{"rendered":"TikTok fights back at lawmakers supporting a &#8216;ban&#8217; while allowing account access"},"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\">24<\/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%2Ftiktok-goes-on-offense-against-lawmakers-who-voted-for-a-ban-while-keeping-accounts%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=2231438&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>TikTok targets lawmakers supporting a \u200bbill for a possible ban in the US, part of a\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-gop-blocks-bipartisan-border-package-that-includes-foreign-aid-in-key-vote\/\" title=\"Senate GOP blocks bipartisan border package with foreign aid in key vote\">foreign aid\u2063 package<\/a>. Senators with accounts face \u200bscrutiny \u2064as the Biden administration evaluates the\u2063 situation. Some \u2064lawmakers, like Sen.\u200c Cory Booker, express frustration over the bill&#8217;s provisions. TikTok&#8217;s influence on politics and decision-making stirs controversy among senators\u2063 and representatives. TikTok is taking aim at legislators\u2063 backing \u2064a bill that could lead to a US ban, included in \u2062a foreign\u200b aid deal.\u200c Senators with accounts are under scrutiny as \u2064the Biden\u200b administration reviews the matter. Lawmakers such as\u200c Sen. Cory\u200b Booker voice frustration with the bill&#8217;s terms. \u200dThe impact of TikTok on\u2064 politics sparks debate among \u200bsenators and representatives.  <\/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 href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tiktok\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"TikTok\">TikTok<\/a> is singling out lawmakers who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2976979\/senate-passes-tiktok-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>voted for a bill <\/a>that puts into motion a forced sale or a ban of the popular application in the United States while also having accounts of their own.<\/p>\n<p>The new <a href=\"https:\/\/selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov\/media\/bills\/bill-protect-americans-foreign-adversary-controlled-applications-including-tiktok\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>bill<\/a>, passed this week as part of a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/2976871\/senate-passes-ukraine-aid-majority-republican-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title> foreign aid package<\/a>, would give the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Biden Administration\">Biden administration<\/a> another chance to ban TikTok in the United States if its owner, the Chinese tech firm ByteDance, fails to divest the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/montana-becomes-first-state-to-ban-tiktok\/\" title=\"Montana Bans TikTok, First State to Do So.\">popular short video app<\/a> over the next nine months to a year. The package passed with the help of 46 Democrats, 15 Republicans, and two independents. <\/p>\n<p>However, nine senators who voted for the package have accounts on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/big-tech-to-ban-parler-over-lack-of-content-moderation\/\" title=\"Big tech to ban Parler over lack of content moderation\">social media application<\/a>, and a couple have been active on it within the last week. Three members of the House who are running for Senate also have active accounts. <\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cPoliticians voting to ban TikTok while also using the platform to reach voters underscores the incoherent and factually baseless arguments for a ban,\u201d said a spokesperson from TikTok in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner. <\/em>\u201cThey should explain their actions to the seven million businesses that would be economically devastated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In battleground states that are at stake in the upper chamber, Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Bob Casey (D-PA) have accounts on the platform. Reps. Colin Allred (D-TX) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) also have accounts and are running in competitive races this November. However, Gallego voted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2918167\/house-votes-to-force-sale-of-tiktok-by-chinese-owner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>against<\/a> a prior stand-alone TikTok bill but then voted for the larger foreign aid bill, which included the provision involving the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">social media platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) explained his vote in his last <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@corybooker\/video\/7361091755627842858?_t=8lrCXWs1tiF&#038;_r=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>post<\/a> on TikTok and said he would have voted against the provision in the legislation if it had been voted on as stand-alone legislation, emphasizing that the situation made him \u201cfrustrated as hell.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<blockquote cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@corybooker\/video\/7361091755627842858\" data-video-id=\"7361091755627842858\" data-embed-from=\"oembed\">\n<section> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"@corybooker\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@corybooker?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener\">@corybooker<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>The Senate will soon vote on legislation that provides $95 billion in funding for urgent security needs and to meet the dire need for humanitarian assistance across the world. I will support this bill, even with its flaws, because it\u2019s critical that the United States stand up to address global and democratic security issues and the immense and growing humanitarian needs around the world. One of this bill\u2019s flaws is a provision that would force a sale of TikTok. As written, I don\u2019t support this provision, not because I don\u2019t have concerns about TikTok or its ownership structure \u2014 I do \u2014 but because I worry that Congress is missing an opportunity to address larger issues with social media in general, from screen addiction, to social media\u2019s negative effects on mental health, to the alarming impact it can have on the well-being of American children, to privacy, to the stunning proliferation of hate speech online, to its use for bullying and intimidation, to its toxic spread of misinformation, and more. Congress should work to address these broader issues in a separate bill and have a separate, full debate of these issues \u2014 not stick piecemeal riders onto a must-pass bill. I worry now that the urgency to address the ills of these platforms will be diffused and our ability to come up with real, lasting solutions \u2014 while also protecting the benefits of these platforms \u2014 will be lost for some time. I know people are frustrated. I am too. We must continue the work though. This is not the last word on these issues.<\/p>\n<p> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\u266c original sound - Cory\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-7361091826801036075?refer=embed\" rel=\"noopener\">\u266c original sound \u2013 Cory<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m one of the only senators who is an active user of TikTok. I\u2019ve seen powerful expressions of young people. I\u2019ve been inspired as well as informed,\u201d Booker says in the video.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere I am, frustrated as hell; the supplemental is what they call a must-pass bill. It has critically needed resources for our allies, as well as something I have fought very hard to include, close to $10 billion of humanitarian aid that will prevent the loss of life for perhaps millions,\u201d Booker explains. \u201cNow I\u2019m put in a situation where I\u2019m going to vote for the whole package knowing there\u2019s something in it that is a massive missed opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s one of those frustrating times for me in Washington where someone sticks something that you disagree with onto a must-pass bill as a strategy to get folks to support it, even though they don\u2019t,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>reached out to staff for all senators with a TikTok account. A spokeswoman for Sen. Bob Casey\u2019s (D-PA) campaign flagged his recent comments in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/congress-biden-bill-ban-tiktok-when-2024-election-rcna148792\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>an interview<\/a> on MSNBC, where the senator expressed his hope that the legislation would ultimately spur TikTok\u2019s parent company to sell its American assets to a new owner.  <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think any American wants to put our country further at risk when it comes to China,\u201d Casey said. \u201cI know a lot of Americans rely upon TikTok, and that\u2019s understandable because of the value that it can provide to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-communitarian-revolt-against-government-lockdowns\/\" title=\"The Communitarian Revolt Against Government Lockdowns\">small-business owner<\/a> or others who need TikTok to communicate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When examining the accounts of lawmakers, not many have been used regularly. Several, like the accounts for Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA), appear to have been created only for the purpose of campaigning. Meanwhile, Booker, Brown, Sanders, Gallego, Schiff, and Allred have posted within the last week.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the No. 2 Senate Democrat, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2917682\/tiktok-legislation-could-face-stonewall-senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>acknowledged<\/a> the concerns about backlash from young voters if the popular social media application was banned by lawmakers in the days following the House vote in March.<\/p>\n<p>When asked about the implications of banning the application during an election year, Durbin said, \u201cSuccessful politics is addition and multiplication.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCutting out a large group of young voters is not the best-known strategy for reelection,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>Company officials said they plan to pursue a legal challenge to block the legislation, which sets a Jan. 19, 2025, deadline for the sale, one day before Biden\u2019s first term as president is over. TikTok is set to challenge the bill on First Amendment grounds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRest assured \u2014 we aren\u2019t going anywhere,\u201d CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@tiktok\/video\/7361448925972155679?_r=1&#038;_t=8lnflyPpNCl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>video<\/a> posted on the platform after Biden signed the legislation that requires ByteDance, the Chinese parent company, to divest from TikTok or face a ban. \u201cWe are confident, and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TikTok targets lawmakers supporting a bill for a possible ban in the US. The bill, part of a foreign aid package, triggers a forced sale or ban. Lawmakers with accounts now face scrutiny as the Biden administration evaluates the situation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2231439,"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\/04\/AP24116613553260-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2231438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24116613553260-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231438","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\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2231438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2231439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2231438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2231438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2231438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}