Two GOP House Reps. Decry National Guardsman’s TikToks

Two House Republicans recently released a letter expressing their concern about an ad for TikTok that features a U.S. Air National Guardsman.

“Chinese intelligence and security services use TikTok to surveil, exploit, and manipulate the American people,” Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., wrote in a letter that was addressed to National Guard Bureau chief Gen. Daniel Hokanson and was dated April 28.

The ad features New Hampshire-based Air National Guardsman Jon Lynch, who says: “My name is Jon Lynch, and I’m a member of the National Guard. I use my TikTok channel to spread helpful and useful information to benefit military members and their families.”

He adds, “TikTok allows me to give other military members and other families these experiences to appreciate this life that they’re in.”

Stefanik and Hawley wrote in their letter: “The video appears to serve as a de facto National Guard endorsement of TikTok’s platform. This is extremely concerning given the known threats TikTok poses to Americans — especially so as TikTok is now banned on all U.S. government devices.”

A spokesperson for the New Hampshire National Guard told The Epoch Times in a statement that Lynch operates his own TikTok channel “on his own time with his own equipment,” adding that Lynch “has worked with our public affairs office to ensure he is in accordance with military policy.”