NC’s Rep. Jeff Jackson apologizes for TikTok video — but not for his vote to force sale
Rep. Jeff Jackson said he doesn’t regret voting for a bill many see as an attempt to ban TikTok, but that he mishandled a video he posted to the social media site immediately after.
“It was difficult because I didn’t agree with every part of the bill,” Jackson told The Charlotte Observer Monday morning. “But I take national security seriously, and allowing the government of another country to potentially control the information that half our country sees every day is a serious risk.”
Last week, the majority of the House voted to force TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. subsidiary within six months or face a nationwide ban.
The legislation was fast-tracked through the House after members say they met with intelligence officials in a classified briefing and learned about data Chinese officials have gained through the app. They also say China is spreading propaganda to Americans through TikTok’s videos.
“The best way to protect against that, in this situation, is the way we’ve done it before, by compelling sale,” Jackson said. “I voted in the interest of national security.”
TikTok video
Following last week’s vote, Jackson took to TikTok to explain why he voted against the interests of a platform that he posts on regularly for his 2.3 million followers.
He uses social media sites from Reddit to X, formerly Twitter, to post about the inner workings of Congress. He likes to speak directly to his audience about why he voted a certain way or about the general chaos happening in the chamber, and his easy-to-understand chats have helped make the freshman a nationally known figure.
“I don’t think there will be a TikTok ban,” Jackson said in the video.
TikTok users were not happy and posted a number of videos taking Jackson to task for his vote, particularly because he gained notoriety by using the platform. One user made a video saying he was canceled. Another said they voted for him in the 2024 primary, and told friends to vote for him, but now they’d be sure to work against him.
On Saturday, Jackson made his apology video, saying he mishandled the situation and he understood why he was being “roasted.”
“If I were in your shoes, I would probably feel the same way,” Jackson said. “I would see someone who used this app to build a following and then appears to have voted against it and I would be upset and I would feel like I deserve more of an explanation ...”
Jackson said in the apology he likes TikTok because he’s able to reach a lot of people and hear directly from them, but he’s also in Congress and he’s privy to information about the app that “are genuinely alarming.”
TikTok would be a better app if it were not owned by an adversarial government, he said in his video. But he doesn’t like the potential ban.
Jackson added that he still believes there’s little chance of a ban happening.
If the bill becomes law, TikTok has vowed to fight the ban legally. If that fails, many wealthy Americans have expressed interest in buying the company, including former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, USA Today reported.
Confusion over the vote
When North Carolina’s delegation voted Wednesday on the bill, Jackson was among two names that immediately stood out. While Jackson voted “yes” on the bill, his opponent in the attorney general race and House colleague, Rep. Dan Bishop, voted “no.”
A Charlotte-area Republican, Bishop’s vote took people by surprise because he once called Jackson a “Chinese social media star” and has criticized his use of the platform.
“My opponent voted in the interest of one of his biggest campaign supporters, Club for Growth,” Jackson told the Observer Monday. “And that’s the difference.”
What is Club for Growth?
Club for Growth is an influential conservative super PAC that focuses on tax cuts and economic policy. It endorsed Bishop in the attorney general race.
The super PAC has an on-again, off-again relationship with former President Donald Trump.
Candidates it supports often benefit from millions of dollars in spending by the group. In North Carolina, that’s been apparent with Sen. Ted Budd since he first ran for U.S. House in 2016.
One of Club for Growth’s top two contributors is Jeff Yass, who owns a large stake in TikTok.
In 2022, Club for Growth was Bishop’s top donor, according to Open Secrets, spending nearly $40,000 on his campaign.
Trump’s flip flop
Trump’s been accused of taking a payoff — he denies that — to support TikTok after changing his views on the social media app following a meeting with Yass earlier this month during a Club for Growth event, according to the New York Times.
Banning TikTok was a notion first floated during the Trump administration.
In August 2020, Trump signed an executive order to ban TikTok. But a preliminary injunction signed by a federal judge stopped the ban. The executive order was reversed under Biden, who then authorized an investigation of the social media company.
When the bill came up for a vote Wednesday, 15 Republicans voted against the ban, some of Trump’s closest allies, including Bishop.
Bishop consistent
Unlike some of his fellow members of the House Freedom Caucus, Bishop has been consistent on his messaging about TikTok.
In 2020, Bishop co-sponsored a bill to ban TikTok on government devices.
He did not sign onto a letter his House colleagues sent to Trump in support of the ban on TikTok. Sen. Budd,a member of the House at the time, did sign the letter, with many of their House Freedom Caucus colleagues.
In November 2023, Bishop posted on social media, “Keeping TikTok off of government phones just scratches the surface. But colleagues who call for a ban risk undermining free expression. The answer is exercising statesmanlike judgment and removing woke from our institutions.”
On Wednesday, from the House floor, Bishop again stressed that he didn’t advise people use TikTok, but banning the application risked First Amendment rights.
The Senate
The bill still needs to go before the Senate, which is less keen on taking it up.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from Mecklenburg County, told McClatchy he supports the bill.
Budd, a Republican from Davie County, told McClatchy he is still considering it.
“Senator Budd believes that the divestment issue deserves careful consideration and review and is in the process of doing that,” said Curtis Kalin, Budd’s spokesman.
If the Senate takes up the bill and it passes, it then needs to go before President Joe Biden for his signature. Biden has expressed his support for the bill becoming law.
Whether the Senate can tackle the bill this week is anyone’s guess. Top of mind in both chambers this week is funding the government by Friday or facing a potential partial government shutdown.
