➤ For readers who may have missed the story, can you explain the situation briefly?
Claire: Prominent politicians all over the country have been going after TikTok, citing arguably valid security concerns and making much of its Chinese ownership. Several states and Congress have banned it from government devices. Additional restrictions and bans are under consideration.
Meanwhile, some of the same politicians behind the push to ban or restrict TikTok—including Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), among others—received thousands of dollars in donations from top executives at TikTok and its parent company ByteDance in the last election cycle. This would be like a politician who says they want to ban guns taking cash from an NRA lobbyist.
➤ Tell us a little bit about the reporting process. How did the story come about?
Claire: During the political team's weekly brainstorming session, it occurred to me that I hadn't seen any reporting about TikTok's and ByteDance's campaign donations.
There was one recent excellent piece in Sludge about its lobbying and backdoor donations to thinktanks and nonprofits politicians are affiliated with, but nothing about direct donations, which companies often use to curry favor and push their agenda. A little bit of digging revealed that top execs with the company had in fact donated to some of their loudest critics.
I'd like to say I was surprised, but I'm a political reporter.
➤ What are some of your biggest takeaways from this?
Claire: Politics is a dirty business made even dirtier by the moneyed interests who pull the levels of power behind the scenes. Should we accept this? There's a cynical side to this argument that goes, well, that's just how the game is played, so if you wanna win, you better play ball.
More idealistic people may think that we shouldn't simply ignore the fact that the game is rigged to benefit the rich and powerful and the politicians who do their bidding. This isn't specific to one company or one industry. They're all pouring cash into politics to get what they want, be it deregulating the railway industry or legalizing recreational marijuana.
➤ Anything else you want to share with web_crawlr readers?
Claire: Be informed but skeptical and always, always follow the money. And thanks for reading the Daily Dot!
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