An ethics watchdog is asking the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) to investigate Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-NC) for potentially violating federal law and House ethics rules by abusing official resources for political purposes.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) filed an ethics complaint with the ethics office, asking for an investigation into Jackson’s use of the Chinese social media app TikTok to determine if his account violated House rules and abused official resources for political purposes.
TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, was banned on U.S. government devices this year due to national security concerns. Lawmakers are currently looking at a nationwide TikTok ban due to the same concerns.
FACT noted that Jackson has continued to use the social media platform despite the concerns, so much so that he has been described as “Congress’ biggest TikTok star” in recent months.
Although Jackson’s TikTok account links to his campaign website and features videos of him speaking about campaigning, FACT noted he had made posts that included photos of the House floor and government buildings, seemingly violating House ethics rules.
Related: Dingell: TikTok CEO’s Testimony ‘Disturbing’ — He Wouldn’t Commit to Not Selling Data That Is ‘a Weapon’ to National Security
FACT explained that federal law and House Ethics rules “require strict separation between campaign and official acts,” prohibiting members from using official resources for campaign purposes and campaign funds for official purposes.
As FACT wrote in a press release:
The biography portion of Jackson’s account describes him as a “Congressman (NC-14)”, and he directly links to his campaign website. Political posts include videos in which he spoke about campaigning and a campaign interview. However, also on his campaign account, Jackson has made posts using photographs of the House floor and government buildings–official resources that Members are prohibited from using for campaign or political purposes.
The fact that Rep. Jackson has apparently used official resources on his campaign TikTok account is a violation of House ethics rules. Additionally, the ethics rules prohibit Members from taking photographs in government buildings for political purposes and obtaining photographs of the House floor and Committee proceedings for political purposes. Thus, not only is his use of the account a violation of the ethics rules, but the content within his posts are additional violations of House ethics rules.
FACT executive director Kendra Arnold urged the OCE to “enforce these fundamental ethics rules.”
“The laws and ethics rules prohibiting Members from using official resources for political purposes are clear and longstanding. Not only do these ethics rules protect taxpayer funds, but they also protect the integrity of the government and maintain citizens’ trust,” Arnold said. “Anytime a Member does not comply with these laws it is troubling and should concern citizens. The OCE should act to enforce these fundamental ethics rules.”
FACT has recently filed similar complaints against Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-NC) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) for their use of TikTok.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.
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