Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are threatening to subpoena the Justice Department if it does not turn over documents connected to any probes of TikTok and Al Jazeera under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), the Washington Examiner reported on Friday.
Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday asserting that the DOJ has refused to give documentation for eight weeks on any FARA-related probes into the two companies since the committee last sent its request on February 8.
"The evidence that TikTok and Al Jazeera are operating at the behest of foreign principals
is substantial, but they continue to operate without registration," Comer wrote, pointing out as an example a memorandum of understanding between TikTok and the Qatari Ministry of Communications signed in February that seeks to "expand Qatar's digital footprint" and will permit both organizations to operate in the U.S. without "proper transparency."
Comer added in the latter that the DOJ's "lack of transparency continues to raise questions about its commitment to the objective enforcement of FARA."
House Republicans said the committee will consider subpoenas to force the DOJ to hand over the requested documentation if doesn't do so by April 15.
Last month, the House voted to pass legislation in which TikTok faces a possible ban in the U.S. if it does not separate from its parent company, ByteDance, the Washington Examiner reported.
Comer wrote in the letter that "the week prior, when the bill was introduced, TikTok blatantly engaged in 'political activities' without registering under FARA, seemingly in violation of the law."
He added that "TikTok's content has been recognized as advancing a global pro-CCP [Communist China Party] agenda, influencing Americans at the behest of the CCP, and constituting 'political activities' under FARA."
Comer also insisted in his letter that Al Jazeera, which claims that it is not directed or controlled by the Qatari government, has its entities "funded by and acting on behalf of the Qatari government" and is in violation of FARA obligations.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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