Rand Paul Calls Out Fox’s Brian Kilmeade for ‘Lying’ About TikTok Ban
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) clashed with Fox News co-host Brian Kilmeade on Thursday morning over Congress’ recent push to effectively ban TikTok from the United States. In the tense exchange, Paul repeatedly accused Kilmeade of “lying” about the Chinese Communist Party owning the social media platform.
The House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that would prohibit TikTok from American app stores unless its parent company, ByteDance, divests from the short-form video site. Claiming that China controls ByteDance, lawmakers who support the legislation argue that TikTok poses a “national security threat” because the Chinese government could use it for foreign intelligence purposes.
Although the measure sailed through the House by an overwhelmingly bipartisan 352-65 vote, its passage in the Senate is uncertain, with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) remaining uncommitted to the next steps in the chamber. Young progressives are pressuring Democrats to oppose the ban, while Republicans have been placed in a tough spot as former President Donald Trump recently reversed course on his anti-TikTok position.