Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-N.C.) violated House ethics rules while using TikTok, according to a nonprofit watchdog.
In an April 10 letter (pdf), Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), called on the Office of Congressional Ethics to “immediately investigate whether Representative Jeff Jackson has used a social media account in violation of House rules and abused official resources for political purposes.”
The letter, addressed to ethics office chief counsel Omar Ashmawy, outlined security concerns surrounding the popular app, which has more than 1 billion active monthly users. Concerns included the fact that TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
“Both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Communications Commission have warned that data from TikTok such as biometric identification, browsing history, and location could be shared with the Chinese government,” wrote Arnold, who also noted that “the FBI and Justice Department have reportedly began [sic] investigating whether TikTok has spied on U.S. citizens, including journalists.”
The letter includes screenshots of Jackson, who has 1.6 million followers on TikTok, campaigning on the app and allegedly violating of House ethics rules—such as using footage from the House floor—while on the platform. It shows a mix of campaign videos and videos from his time in Congress, where he is a freshman lawmaker.
“Federal law and House ethics rules require strict separation between campaign and official acts: (1) a Member is prohibited from using official resources for campaign purposes and (2) a Member is prohibited from using campaign funds for official purposes,” noted Arnold.
Arnold said that Jackson violated House ethics rules by also having the bio section of his account listing himself as a congressman and including a link to his campaign website.
Finally, according to Arnold, “Jackson used photographs of the House floor and Armed Services Committee within political posts made on a campaign social media account. The political use of these photos are clearly shown by content of these posts and the fact they were posted on a campaign TikTok account. Thus, Jackson’s use of the photographs of the House floor and Armed Services Committee for political purposes is an abuse of government resources in violation of the ethics rules.
“The laws at issue in this case are important because not only do they protect taxpayer-funded resources from abuse, they also protect the integrity of official proceedings. One issue the House Ethics Manual acknowledges is the public perception that incumbents are simply using their office to run for re-election or to run for a higher office, which is remediated by strictly enforcing the laws at issue in this case. In addition to violating the specific laws, his use of official resources does not reflect credibly on the House.”
The Washington Free Beacon first reported the letter.
The Epoch Times has reached out to Jackson’s office for comment.
