Rep. Ilhan Omar hit with ethics complaint over alleged political use of TikTok
Far-left Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is the first US lawmaker to face an ethics complaint over her TikTok account after she allegedly used it for both official and political purposes — a violation of House rules.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust filed a complaint Thursday with the Office of Congressional Ethics requesting an investigation, saying the Somali-American lawmaker had used the app “despite warnings that TikTok data could be shared with the Chinese government.”
TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., a subsidiary of the People’s Republic of China.
The FACT complaint states that Omar uses TikTok to make “overtly political posts, including a video of her urging viewers to support Democrat candidates, a message to Democrats volunteering for campaigns, and several videos of her campaigning and attending campaign events.”
“Along with this political content, she has also made posts that used official government resources, including C-SPAN footage from the House floor, what appears to be a cell phone video recorded on the House floor, and an interview from what appears to be in her House office,” added the complaint, addressed to chief House ethics counsel Omar Ashmawy.
Federal law requires members of Congress to observe “strict separation” between their campaign and official duties, a rule Omar allegedly flouted in nearly a dozen of her posts on TikTok.
They are also prohibited from engaging in political activities within their congressional office or any part of the Capitol building, including taking photos or videos for campaign purposes.
House ethics rules also warn members against creating a public perception that they are using their official resources only to seek re-election or run for higher office.
FACT also urged House ethics investigators to determine whether Omar has illegally downloaded the Chinese app on any government devices.
“These violations are disturbing, and clearly not how members are supposed to be using official resources,” said FACT Executive Director Kendra Arnold. “The law is abundantly clear, and her account and the content posted speak for themselves. These rules are to protect the time, resources, and integrity of official proceedings for those in elected office.”
In December, the House Committee on House Administration barred TikTok from House-managed mobile devices due to security concerns.
The White House in February ordered all government agencies to rid TikTok from their devices within 30 days over espionage worries.
Despite bipartisan concerns that China’s government could obtain data from 100 million US users through the app, more than 30 members of Congress maintain TikTok accounts.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was grilled last week before the House Energy and Commerce Committee about his company’s links to China.
Most Americans say TikTok poses a national security threat, unless they are younger than 30 years old — a key voting demographic for Democratic candidates.
