Rand Paul: Proposed TikTok ban ‘makes no sense’

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said on Tuesday that the proposed TikTok ban “makes no sense,” ahead of an expected vote on the House floor on Wednesday.

In an interview with NewsNation’s Leland Vitter on “On Balance,” Paul argued that a ban on TikTok would be akin to steps employed by the Chinese government, which, Paul said, is precisely the supposed threat from which such a ban would purport to shield Americans.

“TikTok is banned in China,” Paul said. “We’re thinking – or people who want to ban it are thinking – Wow, we’re going to really defeat the Chinese communists, by becoming Chinese authoritarians and banning it in our country? TikTok is banned in China. So, we’re going to emulate the Chinese communists by banning it in our country?”

“It makes no sense whatsoever,” he added.

Paul also argued that some Americans have a stake in TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, and that such a ban would be taking property away from Americans without proving a crime first.

“We know that the Chinese government does demand things, but we don’t know that any information really is going from TikTok to any of these people in China,” he said, noting that a provable crime is necessary to take property from Americans.

Not all lawmakers see the proposed ban this way. The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a bill that would give ByteDance 165 days from the day it is enacted to divest TikTok or face a ban on U.S. app stores and web hosting services.

House Republicans are bringing up the bill through a special rule that requires a two-thirds majority to pass the measure, rather than the simple majority needed to pass most House bills.

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and lead co-sponsor of the bill, expressed confidence that it would pass, saying Tuesday that there is a “great bipartisan core” behind the measure.

He noted that the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced the measure last Thursday in a rare unanimous vote.

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

This story was updated at 2:31 p.m.