Watchdog presses for ethics probe of congressman over TikTok videos

A watchdog group says New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman violated House ethics rules by recording TikTok videos inside the U.S. Capitol building and in his congressional office.

The complaint, filed Tuesday by the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, alleges Bowman used social media accounts in violation of House rules and "abused official resources" for political purposes. The watchdog group is asking the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate the claims.

The group alleges the Democrat, whose district includes Bronx and Westchester County, has posted political content on his official TikTok account and used official resources to make posts on his political TikTok account, such as a video he recorded from inside the U.S. Capitol building.

Federal law requires congressional lawmakers to separate campaign and official activities and prohibits campaigning using official resources, such as government buildings, websites and social media profiles.

"The law is clear and the posts above speak for themselves," Kendra Arnold, the group's executive director wrote in the complaint. "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."

Bowman is the latest House Democrat to be slapped with an ethics complaint over use of TikTok, along with fellow U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. and Wiley Nickel, D-NC.

President Joe Biden argues that the platform, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, poses a national security threat at a time of growing competition with China.

The complaint noted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Communications Commission has warned that data from TikTok, such as biometric identification, browsing history, and location could be shared with the Chinese government.

Bowman is among a small group of Democrats who have pushed back against the government's efforts to ban TikTok, accusing them of fostering xenophobia and "anti-China" hysteria.

In March, he held a rally outside the Capitol with dozens of social media influencers who use apps to tout the virtues of the platform used by more than 150 million Americans and criticize efforts by his colleagues in Congress to ban it.

But the watchdog group alleges Bowman has crossed a line with the use of the social media platform as part of his official duties as a congressman.

"Anytime a Member does not comply with these laws it is troubling and should concern citizens," Arnold wrote. "The OCE must move swiftly to investigate and enforce these bright-line standards and apply the requisite penalty."