AOC’s Advocacy for TikTok is ‘Conflict of Interest’

From the Washington Examiner by Gabe Kaminsky:

EXCLUSIVE — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has been slammed for her recent defense of TikTok, with watchdogs accusing her of a “conflict of interest.”

 

Ocasio-Cortez on Saturday released her first video on TikTok and disputed that the social media app should be banned in the United States, a proposal being mulled by the Biden administration over national security and privacy concerns. But since the “Squad” congresswoman helps advise a charity that pocketed $150,000 in December 2022 from TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, she may have a conflict of interest that detracts from her ability to weigh in on ban concerns fairly, watchdog groups told the Washington Examiner.

 

“Congressional caucuses, through their foundations, can and do accept unlimited amounts of money from special interests, including foreign entities,” Peter Flaherty, CEO of the National Legal and Policy Center, a conservative ethics group, said in an interview. “It’s a matter of deep concern, it’s a conflict of interest for her to be shilling for TikTok at the same time that the company is bankrolling entities with which she’s affiliated.”