Chinese Embassy’s Reported TikTok Lobbying Triggers Bipartisan Outrage

Lawmakers say that the Chinese embassy’s moves show that the CCP considers TikTok a ’strategic asset' for influence operations in America.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) (L) and Rep. Mike Gallager (R-Wis.) talk with reporters after the House voted on legislation they co-sponsored that could ban TikTok at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 13, 2024. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle expressed their outrage at the Chinese embassy’s reported lobbying against a TikTok bill. They said the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) actions showed the importance of forcing a sale of TikTok to free the social media platform from communist control.

Politico reported on Wednesday that the Chinese embassy met with congressional staffers to lobby against a bill that would require TikTok’s divestiture from its Chinese parent company ByteDance. The bill has passed the House with bipartisan support and is currently pending in the Senate.