Nehls and Rubio Lead Colleagues in Letter to President Biden Urging Him to Delete TikTok Account
WASHINGTON, D.C. —Congressman Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22) and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) led 14 members of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate in sending a letter to the United States President, Joe Biden, urging him to delete his TikTok account and prioritize our nation’s national security.
The letter, signed by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Representatives Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21), Byron Donalds (R-FL-19), Bill Posey (R-FL-08), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX-02), Jack Bergman (R-MI-01), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL-28), Aaron Bean (R-FL-04), John Rutherford (R-FL-05), Barry Moore (R-AL-02), Michael Waltz (R-FL-06), and Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-GA-01), pressures President Biden to delete his TikTok account and urges him to publicly acknowledge the national security threat posed by TikTok, a social media app controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.
“I am proud to join Senator Rubio in leadingthis effort,” said Congressman Nehls. “TikTok is a national security threat, controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Joe Biden needs to immediately delete his TikTok account in order to prioritize our nation’s national security and put America first.”
Read the full letter HERE or below:
Dear Mr. President:
On February 11, 2024, during Super Bowl LVIII, your campaign made its first post on TikTok, a social-media platform owned by ByteDance, a company subject to the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). TikTok endangers national security, and this concern is aggravated by the platform’s appeal to young people in the United States. We therefore urge you to delete your account and set a better example for the American people by restating that TikTok is a national security threat.
Over the past several years, officials from both sides of the aisle have cautioned Americans against downloading TikTok and worked to eliminate national security risks posed by the app. For example, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray said that TikTok “screams out with national security concerns.” Paul Nakasone, former commander of U.S. Cyber Command and former Director of the National Security Agency, also called TikTok a “loaded gun.”
Furthermore, you supported legislation banning TikTok from government devices. Presumably you signed this legislation into law due to the privacy risks associated with the app. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has gone a step further, imposing a TikTok prohibition on DoD contractors. Several universities have also adopted this ban.
In short, there was a time when your administration publicly stated the threat posed by TikTok. It is incredibly troubling, then, that you are now ignoring TikTok’s well-established national security risks.
How can the federal government warn Americans about the risks of this app if the Commander in Chief uses it, too? Why should government employees be expected to honor a ban on official devices when the President rebuts the core justification for the law? And why should Americans believe you will protect them from foreign threats, when your use of the platform suggests disregard for well-known national security threats? The office of the presidency is about leadership. By downloading TikTok, you are setting a poor example for the American people, while making them less safe for the bargain.
We urge you to delete your account and publicly acknowledge the national security threat posed by TikTok. Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We look forward to your prompt response.