Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) joined TikTok on Wednesday to complain about being kicked off the House Intelligence Committee — though TikTok is a Chinese-owned app increasingly seen as a national security threat.
In the video, Schiff asks for money from supporters, claiming that Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) banned him from the committee “all for doing my job, for holding Trump accountable, and standing up to extreme MAGA Republicans.”
On Tuesday, McCarthy rejected Schiff for national security reasons, arguing that Schiff had abused his position to lie to the American public about the contents of sensitive intelligence information for political purposes.
TikTok has been banned from government devices in at least 30 states due to concerns that it may be used as spyware, or a mechanism for China to manipulate American media. The app was recently banned on devices issued by the federal government as well.
It is not clear what device Schiff used to create and post his video. As of Thursday morning, it is the only video on Schiff’s TikTok page, where he describes himself as “Father, husband, triathlete, and sometimes comic. California Congressman.” The account is verified.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.