WaPo columnist: Biden admin lacks the guts to ban TikTok
Josh Rogin weighs in on TikTok's congressional hearing
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin joined "One Nation with Brian Kilmeade" to discuss whether President Biden will actually push for a TikTok ban.
Host Brian Kilmeade noted that lawmakers from both sides of the aisle questioned TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew over concerns of spying, surveillance and data manipulation by the Chinese Communist Party during Thursday's congressional hearing.
Despite the hours-long questioning, Kilmeade said, the CEO "really had nothing to say," leading to further calls for a ban on the app.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rogin said there is a "bipartisan consensus" that "TikTok's presence and its influence" threaten national security, given its ability to collect Americans' data and the potential for the CCP to exploit this vulnerability.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies during a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on the platform's consumer privacy and data security practices and impact on children, Thursday, March 23, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
TikTok "is not only a vector for invading Americans' privacy, it's a vector for the Chinese Communist Party to insert its influence into our information space through the phones of our children," Rogin said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rogin noted there is "less agreement" among lawmakers over how to address the threat posed by TikTok.
While some have called for a ban on TikTok, Rogin is skeptical that the Biden administration has the political will to fight the legal battles that would likely ensue if the app was banned.
"I don't think the Biden administration has the guts to go through with it," Rogin said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rogin said the issue of TikTok is just one example of China's strategy to undermine American democracy, which includes targeting U.S. colleges, high schools and charter schools.
He explained that the CCP uses "tons and tons of illicit money" to co-opt American institutions, often through donations or sponsoring Chinese centers that are linked back to its government.
TIKTOK DEPLOYS SWARM OF INFLUENCERS TO US CAPITOL AHEAD OF EXPECTED CEO GRILLING
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., joined by the popular app's supporters, leads a rally to defend TikTok at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"They use proxies, and then they use Chinese student organizations in some instances to watch the Chinese students on campuses and make sure that they don't say anything against the CCP, and they want to exploit the fact that here in America, we have an open system," Rogin said.
"We welcome Chinese students because we want them to learn about freedom and democracy and what it's like to live here, but then they abuse that openness in order to try to buy off these institutions, and that's something we just can't abide by."