‘The Squad’ Charged with Ethics Complaints Over TikTok – Watch
Last December, the House gave an order to lawmakers and their staff to delete the TikTok social media platform from all House-issued phones because of the potential security risks. And President Joe Biden signed a GOP-backed bill banning the use of TikTok on any government-issued devices.
But it seems that Democratic lawmakers have blatantly gone against those orders, throwing caution to the winds by posting TikTok videos.
There is more to be concerned about than just not following orders, members of Congress are required to have “strict separation” between their campaign and official duties.
Lawmakers are not supposed to use official social media accounts for a campaign or political purposes. They can’t engage in political activities or campaigns in their congressional offices or any part of the Capitol building, and they are not supposed to take photos or videos from the building for campaign purposes.
But apparently, members of “the Squad” like Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) feel like the rules don’t apply to them.
Bowman violated the rules by recording TikTok videos from inside the US Capitol building and in his congressional office, and he posted a message calling for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas from his official account which is an alleged ethics violation.
Omar was actually the first to be hit with an ethics complaint. It stated that she used 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,” the complaint stated.
Democrat Jamaal Bowman: "Republicans ain't got no swag. That's why they want to ban TikTok."
Or maybe it’s because TikTok is a national security risk and owned and operated by the Chinese Communist Party? 🤦🏻♂️pic.twitter.com/R1SOTP8RXh
— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) March 23, 2023