MP Jamaal Bowman has recently positioned himself as one of the most ardent defenders of TikTok, which critics have accused of being a Chinese spyware app. The New York Democrat, meanwhile, is tied to a foundation that received a $150,000 donation from TikTok’s parent company late last year.
Bowman, an avid TikTok user, held a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to defend the popular social media app alongside two other Democratic lawmakers and so-called TikTok influencers.
In the speech, the member of the “Squad” said that politicians are hypocrites for singling out the application, when his fellow Americans, for example, allowed Russia to “interfere in the 2016 election” and “live lies and disinformation.” their platforms.”
Bowman suggested that the opposition to TikTok stems from racism. “Let’s not have a dishonest conversation,” he said. “Let’s not be racist towards China and express our xenophobia when it comes to TikTok, because American companies have done terrible harm to the American people.”
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Democratic Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York strongly opposes the TikTok ban. Bowman is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and its nonprofit member, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, received $150,000 from TikTok’s parent company. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Bowman is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and its nonprofit member, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, received a $150,000 donation in December from ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company. The donation was to honor members of the Caucus.
ByteDance also made a $150,000 donation that same month to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The donation also honored members of their respective congressional caucuses.
A member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Rep. Robert Garcia, Democrat of California, joined Bowman at the TikTok press conference to oppose the ban on the app. Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan was also in attendance.
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California Democratic Representative Robert Garcia also opposes the TikTok ban. He is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and his nonprofit affiliates received $150,000 from TikTok’s parent company. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
ByteDance moved money in the United States amid national security concerns and threats. Critics say the Chinese government can access user data, such as browsing history and location, and push communist propaganda through the app. Donations also took place as the company and its subsidiaries spent $5.4 million on lobbying activities in the US, the largest amount yet for the year.
ByteDance’s donations to the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute were the largest reported in lobbying filings last year. Representatives for Bowman and Garcia did not respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital by the time of publication. ByteDance did not respond to an earlier request for comment on its contributions to the nonprofit.
Fears about the popular social media site grew last year after a report in China showed that a TikTok group had accessed the data of US TikTok users, including two journalists. ByteDance fired four employees over the issue.
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“The evidence that China is using TikTok to spy on and influence American citizens is clear, and it only continues to increase as time goes on,” Senator Marco Rubio, R-Florida, wrote in an op-ed for Fox News Digital.
“Also, Beijing’s influence over ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is undeniable. Not only does Chinese law compel ByteDance to hand over data at a moment’s notice, but the Chinese government also owns a stake in the tech giant’s main subsidiary.”
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On Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. During the hearing, Rep. Neal Dunn, Republican of Florida, questioned whether ByteDance had ever spied on American citizens.
“I don’t think espionage is the right way to describe it,” Zi replied.
Fox News Digital’s Gabriel Hays contributed reporting.
Joe Schoffstall is a political producer/reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Joe.Schoffstall@Fox.com and on Twitter: @joeschoffstall