April 30th, 2023
By Joshua Klein
House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) are sounding the alarm over the participation of a National Guardsman in a TikTok advertisement that appears as an endorsement from the U.S. military force of the Chinese-controlled platform.
A video published by TikTok this month featuring Air National Guard member Jon Lynch explaining the benefits the platform provides him and his messaging faced backlash from legislators who accused the social media giant of misleading the public.
“I use my TikTok channel to spread helpful and useful information to benefit military members and their families,” the clip begins.
Lynch later lauds the platform for allowing him “to reach the military community” and “give other military members and other families these experiences to appreciate this life that they’re in.”
In a letter to the National Guard Bureau (NGB) on Friday, the lawmakers highlighted how the ad — which features the Air Guardsman expressing support for TikTok — can be viewed as a “de facto” National Guard endorsement of the TikTok platform.
“The National Guard plays an integral role in carrying out the National Defense Strategy, which correctly identifies China as our most consequential strategic competitor,” they write. “Not only does TikTok play a leading role in manipulating American citizens’ perceptions of China generally, but influence operations like this could directly undermine the National Guard’s ability to mobilize in crisis or conflict.”
Read more in Breitbart here.
