Fox News host Mark Levin tore into his colleague Kellyanne Conway for her “appalling” advocacy on behalf of TikTok as Congress looks to advance a bill that the social media company says would effectively “ban” it from the United States.
The conservative firebrand’s broadside against Conway is hardly the first time he’s fired shots within the Fox News tent. Levin, who hosts a syndicated daily radio show alongside his weekend Fox News program, has regularly criticized other network personalities in the past when they’ve run afoul of his hardline right-wing politics.
Politico reported over the weekend that Conway, a former senior Trump aide and longtime GOP pollster, is being paid by the conservative Club for Growth to lobby for TikTok on Capitol Hill. Jeff Yass, a billionaire Club for Growth donor, holds a 15 percent stake in TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, which has been accused by conservatives of taking its orders from the Chinese Communist Party.
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While the Club for Growth has been one of the rare vocal opponents on the right of Congress’ attempt to banish TikTok, many Republicans and China hawks have continued to stick to their guns, calling TikTok a “national security threat.” Levin reiterated his disdain for the site while taking aim at Conway this weekend.
“This is not just appalling and disappointing, it is shocking,” Levin tweeted on Saturday evening while sharing the Politico article about Conway’s lobbying.
Conway’s attempt to whip up Congressional support for TikTok comes as the House quickly moves to vote on a bill that would force the Beijing-based ByteDance to sell TikTok or face bans in American app stores. While GOP leadership remains enthusiastic about the legislation, former President Donald Trump suddenly reversed his stance on TikTok after the bill was unanimously advanced out of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Trump, who issued a court-halted executive order in August 2020 prohibiting transactions between ByteDance and American customers, defended TikTok in a Truth Social post on Thursday. Claiming the bill would only strengthen Facebook, Trump said “I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people” and that a TikTok ban would increase business for “Facebook and Zuckerschmuck.”
The ex-president’s about-face came shortly after he met with Yass while trying to shore up donations from the ultra-wealthy amid severe money woes for his campaign. During the Club for Growth meeting, Trump reportedly described Yass as “fantastic” while saying that he’s “back in love” with the conservative group after a lengthy estrangement. Yass, meanwhile, is allegedly threatening to cut off donations to GOP lawmakers who support the bill.
Yass’ threat has prompted some MAGA supporters, including Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon, to suggest that the billionaire has bought the cash-strapped ex-president. Though former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and X owner Elon Musk have backed Trump’s position, other Trump allies on Capitol Hill have continued to voice support for the bill.
