(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – In a bombshell revelation regarding why leftists have not stepped up to the plate to address the Chinese social media, Democratic senators are worried about a proposal that would ban TikTok in the U.S. unless it cuts ties with its Chinese parent company.
These lawmakers, who have previously voiced their reservations, have connections to former aides who are now lobbying for the app.
Democratic Senators Ron Wyden from Oregon and Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray from Washington have all said they preferred a more cautious approach to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
This act would force TikTok to distance itself from owner ByteDance, tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), or face a ban in America.
Meanwhile, people who once held key positions in these senators’ teams have been advocating for TikTok while senators themselves benefitted from campaign donations linked to TikTok’s lobbyists.
The bill aims to address concerns that ByteDance could exploit TikTok to spy on American citizens or compromise national security, as reports have revealed that it has used the app to surveil American journalists and analyze communications about COVID-19’s origins.
Murray has said she is skeptical toward the legislation even after it gathered bipartisan support in the House in March.
She even emphasized that it was important to explore other solutions that addressed broader concerns while protecting civil liberties, rather than focusing on a single entity.
Murray explained she was interested in diving deeper into the issue through expert opinions and alternative proposals, while Cantwell hinted she would not support the bill as it stands.
As the head of the Senate Commerce Committee, which reviews such legislation, Cantwell refused to lay out a specific timeline for the bill and is planning a public discussion on the matter, according to Reuters.
In turn, Republicans have criticized Democrats, with Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Josh Hawley labeling the delayed committee process as a strategy to stop the bill from advancing.
Other senators, including Arkansas’s Tom Cotton, echo the need to address TikTok’s risks. He pointed to Senate Majority Leader Schumer’s past suggestions that TikTok should be bought by an American entity.
Therefore, Cotton demanded Schumer stick to his previous comments and accused TikTok’s defenders of stalling the legislative process in hopes the bill will lose momentum.
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