The Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), voiced persistent national security concerns regarding the proposed deal to divest TikTok from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
Speaking on Face the Nation, Rep. Moolenaar emphasized that the success of the transaction hinges on completely separating the app’s critical algorithm from the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) control.
The Complexity of the Code
While Treasury Secretary Bess has indicated that China has agreed to the terms of the deal—which was mandated by a bipartisan law in Congress—Moolenaar stressed that the technical challenge remains significant.
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“How you get that algorithm completely out of the Chinese control is going to be up to the experts,” Moolenaar stated, noting the massive scale of the application’s core. “You know, there’s six million pieces of code in this algorithm and we need to make sure that it’s protected for the American people.”
The primary goal of the divestment is to eliminate the possibility of the platform being used as a foreign influence operation. Moolenaar articulated that the national security threat centers on preventing a “Chinese propaganda effort affecting 170 million Americans,” and ensuring American user data “is kept secure.”
He also expressed continued unease with the provision that allows ByteDance to retain a 20% stake in the entity, stating, “as long as the Chinese are involved, I think there’s reasons for distrust.”
Congressional Oversight Planned
Despite reports that the deal may be close to finalization, Moolenaar confirmed that the House Select Committee will be exercising its role for oversight. He stated that the committee will meet with the parties involved and “will have hearings on this” to ensure that the law passed by Congress is fully followed.
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He also referenced reports that President Xi Jinping views TikTok as a highly valuable asset, noting that the Chinese leader reportedly called the app “spiritual opium” and a “strategic asset,” which explains why the CCP was reluctant to sell it in the first place.
In addition to the TikTok discussion, Rep. Moolenaar also briefly addressed the administration’s focus on the Western Hemisphere, connecting the flow of fentanyl into the United States to China’s role in the crisis.
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