A foundation connected to Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., accepted checks from China's ByteDance before he voted against legislation that would make the company divest from TikTok, records show, according to a report in the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.
President Joe Biden backs the bipartisan Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which may lead to TikTok being banned in the United States over national security apprehensions from Congress.
Clyburn has received $40,000 in campaign donations from TikTok's lobbying arm in recent years via a nonprofit organization affiliated with him, according to congressional lobbying disclosures.
Just last year, ByteDance gave $20,000 to the James E. Clyburn Scholarship and Research Foundation, which is "committed to educating the community by advocating for continuous process of education, career, and life development," according to lobbying disclosures.
"We can't say for a fact that his position is due to the money, but it's perfectly reasonable to be concerned about financial incentives leading to political incentives," Ryan Mauro, a national security analyst and investigative researcher for the conservative Capital Research Center think tank, told the Examiner. "Generally, it's concerning how politicians often take positions they otherwise might not at the expense of the country they're supposed to represent."
TikTok spokeswoman Jodi Seth declined to state if there are any broader ties between ByteDance and Clyburn's office.
"This was a donation to a 501(c)(3) organization that provides need-based scholarships to students hoping to go to college," said Seth, who was a top aide to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., until 2013.
Clyburn has stated that his opposition to the TikTok legislation is due to concern about "singling out one company but ignoring the transgressions of others."
Texas GOP Rep. Troy Nehls, who voted for the bill taking aim at TikTok, said there is a clear connection between how Clyburn voted on the legislation and donations to his campaign and foundation.
"If you are ever going to change Washington, D.C., for the better, you have to get the money out of Washington, D.C.," said Nehls, who is a member of the House Judiciary Committee. "It should concern us all. Now you know why he didn't support the legislation. You know the old adage, follow the money? There you go."
Newsmax asked Clyburn's office for a response to the revelations about ByteDance providing money to the James E. Clyburn Scholarship and Research Foundation before the congressman voted on the Tik Tok legislation, but has not yet received a response.
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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