Vulnerable Dem senator collects cash from TikTok lobbyists after rejecting app ban

Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester’s 2024 re-election campaign racked up donations from TikTok lobbyists after he changed his mind about whether the social media app should be banned, according to campaign finance records .

Tester appeared supportive of forbidding TikTok in Montana in mid-May, according to multiple reports, however offered contradictory comments days later in an interview published on the same day on TikTok sued his home state for First Amendment reasons. Before his initial comments, Tester’s campaign had received only $500 from a TikTok lobbyist, but later received $5,250 in donations after he changed his position on banning the app, according to the documents Federal Electoral Commission (FEC).

Tester argued on May 18 that Chinese-owned TikTok deserved greater scrutiny and that Montana had the right to ban the app, adding that the company should be held accountable for possible “treasonous” actions. seconds in the Havre Daily News. The senator too he said The Washington Post in late March supported an outright ban on TikTok.

However, the senator he said KGVO on May 22 that Montana went too far in imposing this ban.

“So I’m not really big on banning anything. Honestly, ban it on government phones. I have no problem with that,” Tester said. “But as far as banning it from the general public, I have some issues with that.”

David Thomas of Mehlman Consulting, who pressed for TikTok in 2023, donated $500 to Tester’s re-election campaign in mid-April, seconds in the FEC.

Less than two weeks after Tester changed his mind about banning the app, Ankit Desai of And Partners LLC, who also pressed for TikTok in 2023, donated $1,000 to the senator’s campaign, seconds in the FEC. Tester’s campaign later received $1,500 from Thomas in mid-September, along with donations from several other TikTok lobbyists.

Mehlman Consulting’s Paul Thornell, Alexander Perkins, Nichole Distefanoi Zachary Mallove — all of whom lobbied for TikTok in 2023 — contributed to Tester’s campaign after he changed his mind about Montana’s ban, according to the FEC. Thornell given $500 on September 28, Perkins gave $250 on September 19 and From Stefano i Mallove both contributed $1,000 on September 14.

Tester’s re-election campaign brought in roughly $5 million in the third fundraising quarter, ending with $13 million in cash on hand, seconds in your FEC documents.

TikTok is property by Chinese tech company ByteDance, which maintains an internal committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and has been accused of allowing the CCP to access user information.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has been reviewing the potential national security threat posed by TikTok through its parent company ByteDance. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have he urged the Biden administration to further scrutinize the social media app over concerns about user data collection, with lots of calling for an absolute ban.

Tester could face Republican Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and businessman, in the 2024 general election, or Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale, who is taking into account an offer An Emerson College poll published on October 17 suggested that Tester would beat Sheehy by 4 points, but a JL Partners poll in mid-August Found the senator losing to the two Republicans by several points.

The Cook Political Report classify The tester’s seat, which is him retained since 2007, as in the “Lean D” column for 2024, along with Senate races in Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Tester’s campaign, TikTok, Thomas, Desai, Thornell, Perkins, Distefano and Mallove did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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