Americans knew we had enemies at the gates. Now we’re learning they’re at the highest levels of government.
And Capitol Hill is in an uproar over this Senator’s secret ties to China.
Politicians like to talk a big game when they’re on the campaign trail.
They say they’ll take on enemies foreign and domestic.
They’ll “fight for you.”
But in reality, politicians only care about one thing: getting elected.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, opened a personal TikTok account only months after expressing “serious” national security and privacy concerns about the Chinese-owned company.
The electorally vulnerable Democrat opened his TikTok account on Saturday, but he warned in March that the app could compromise Ohioans’ privacy.
“We must protect Ohioans’ personal information from the Chinese Communist Party,” Brown said when asked about the platform by WTOL 11.
“I have serious concerns with this company’s ties to the Chinese government and will continue to work with members of both parties to look at how we can best protect Ohioans’ privacy and our national security.”
Despite noting the company’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the potential privacy danger to its users, the senator encouraged Twitter users to “follow along with me” on his new social media website.
Sen. Sherrod Brown faces a difficult reelection battle in red-state Ohio next November. (William Clark)
“This is Sherrod Brown. I’m now on TikTok. I look forward to getting to know all of you,” Brown said in a clip posted to then-Twitter before talking about standing up to “special interest groups.”
Since the establishment of his TikTok profile, the three-term U.S. senator has already released many videos, including one campaign-related footage of Brown filing a petition for reelection.
Brown’s team made no mention of the TikTok account when asked if he still has “serious concerns” about the platform.
“Sherrod has a strong record holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable and will continue working with both parties to protect Ohioans’ privacy and our national security,” Rachel Petri, campaign manager of Friends of Sherrod Brown, told Fox News Digital.
Brown is seeking re-election to a fourth term in a state won by former President Trump in both 2016 and 2020, making it one of the Democrats’ most vulnerable races in the 2024 election cycle as they strive to maintain or expand their tiny Senate majority.
Members of Congress have backed a TikTok ban amid rising concerns over the app’s ties to the CCP, with some states prohibiting its usage on government equipment.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee interrogated TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in March about the platform’s ties to the CCP and suspicions that China has corrupted American users’ data and is using it to spy on American account holders.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
