Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) on Wednesday said there was a “hell of a coincidence” in how Shou Zi Chew became the CEO of TikTok the day after he brokered a deal with China.
Cotton spoke during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child sexual exploitation, which included big tech companies such as Facebook, Snapchat, Discord, X, and TikTok.
During the hearing, Cotton noted the strong ties between TikTok and the Chinese Communist Party.
Shou Zi Chew, chief executive officer of TikTok Inc. Photographer: Bryan van der Beek/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Cotton said that Shou Zi Chew used to be the chief financial officer (CFO) of Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok. He then noted that in 2021, while the TikTok was the CFO of Bytedance, the China Internet Investment Fund, the a Chinese government investment fund, took a “one percent stake” in the ByteDance technology company.
“In return for that one percent golden share, the party took one of three board seats at that subsidiary company, is that correct,” Cotton asked.
“It’s for the Chinese business, yes,” the TikTok CEO responded.
“That deal was finalized on April 30, 2021. Isn’t it true that you were appointed the CEO of TikTok the very next day on May 1, 2021?”
“It’s a coincidence,” the TikTok CEO said.
“That’s a hell of a coincidence,” Cotton said.
“TikTok’s CEO dodged simple questions today about both his and TikTok’s relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. Shou Chew knows that anyone, especially senior leadership in a Chinese company, can work with the Chinese communists,” Cotton wrote.
Cotton added, “TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is required to turn over any American’s data the Chinese Communist Party asks for. Yet TikTok’s CEO wants us to believe the app is safe for Americans. He’s lying, and we should ban TikTok.”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.