Leslie Marshall: We Agree on ‘Protecting National Security,’ But TikTok Ownership Raises Concerns

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
BAIER: “Fair point. It was, Leslie, President Trump back in August of 2020, executive order addressing the threat from TikTok. TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese communist party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information. These risks are real. the United States must take aggressive actions against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security. That is from August 6th, 2020. Meantime, the Chinese are interacting, they are sending the vice president to Trump’s inauguration. And, you know, it’s going to be interesting. And there is, so he will be one of the delegation there inside the rotunda.”
Marshall: “What is interesting is we seem to all agree whether it’s the Supreme Court, Democrats, and Republicans except for Rand Paul and Mollie I agree with your point we are not hearing more about the First Amendment. Everybody seems to agree we want to protect our national security. I think a lot of people I know me, I’m questioning, no offense Kevin O’Leary, but other billionaires, millionaires, investors, and companies that want to buy TikTok, you know, what happens to the security level there? What happens to the privacy levels there? What bothers me about this is although I think we sound so wonderfully patriotic in protecting our security, I don’t think it’s just about that. And I think we have to look at following the money. And what happens, you know, with this ban is not just protection with national security. But opens up the way for, what? Not just for Americans to own it, but who in America to own it? Those billionaires, those investors, and those companies. Today on TikTok, the CEO of TikTok was praising the incoming president, you know, I don’t want to say kissing the ring.”
BAIER: “He will also be at the inauguration.”
Marshall: “It’s very interesting just seems to be now almost a kum ba yah moment that’s going to be occurring between the United States and China when it comes to TikTok and that makes me raise my eyebrow at that.”