'Squad' defender of alleged Chinese spy app tied to nonprofit that received $150K from its parent company

Rep. Jamaal Bowman has recently positioned himself as one of the most ardent defenders of TikTok, which critics have alleged is a Chinese spyware app. The New York Democrat, meanwhile, is tied to a foundation that received a $150,000 donation from TikTok's parent company late last year.

Bowman, an avid TikTok user, held a Wednesday press conference on Capitol Hill defending the popular social media app alongside two other Democratic lawmakers and so-called TikTok influencers.

During the presser, the "Squad" member claimed that politicians are hypocrites for singling out the app when its American-owned counterparts have allowed Russia, for example, "to interfere with our 2016 election" and have "allowed lies and misinformation to live on their platforms."

Bowman further suggested that TikTok's opposition stems from racism. "Let's not have a dishonest conversation," he said. "Let's not be racist towards China and express our xenophobia when it comes to TikTok, because American companies have done tremendous harm to American people."

Bowman is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, whose affiliated nonprofit, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, in December received a $150,000 donation from ByteDance, TikTok's parent company. The donation went towards honoring members of the caucus.

ByteDance also funneled a $150,000 donation that same month to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, a nonprofit affiliated with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The donation also honored members of its respective congressional caucus.

A member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, California Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, joined Bowman at the TikTok press conference to oppose a ban on the app. Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan was also in attendance.... (Read more)

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