Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said Wednesday he received a death threat over a potential ban on TikTok.
“This is a voicemail my office received last night,” he said on X, sharing audio of the call. “TikTok's misinformation campaign is pushing people to call their members of Congress, and callers like this who communicate threats against elected officials could be committing a federal crime. The Communist-Chinese aligned company is proving just how dangerous their current ownership is. Great work, TikTok.”
In the voicemail, a female caller says, “If you ban TikTok, I will find you and shoot you.”
She continues: “That’s people’s job, and that’s my only entertainment. And, people make money off there too, you know. I’m trying to get rich like that. Anyways, I’ll shoot you, find you, and cut you into pieces.”
This is a voicemail my office received last night. TikTok's misinformation campaign is pushing people to call their members of Congress, and callers like this who communicate threats against elected officials could be committing a federal crime. The Communist-Chinese aligned… pic.twitter.com/X9uW03neqw
— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) March 20, 2024
The threat comes after the House passed legislation last week that would force parent company ByteDance to sell the platform or face a ban from U.S. app stores and web hosting services.
China has warned that a ban on the app would ultimately “come back to bite the United States.”
“This kind of bullying behavior that cannot win in fair competition disrupts companies’ normal business activity, damages the confidence of international investors in the investment environment, and damages the normal international economic and trade order,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, according to AFP. “In the end, this will inevitably come back to bite the United States itself."
While the bill easily passed the House, 352-65, it faces an uncertain future in the Senate.