The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) is filing a complaint about Democratic North Carolina Rep. Wiley Nickel’s TikTok usage with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE).
FACT’s complaint demands OCE investigate whether Nickel is violating House rules and abusing official resources by using his TikTok account for official and political purposes. (RELATED: Watchdog Group Requests Ethics Investigation Into Ilhan Omar’s TikTok Usage)
“In the present case, Rep. Nickel’s use of his TikTok account itself and the content posted are both an abuse of government resources,” the complaint alleges.
READ THE FULL COMPLAINT:
FACT Complaint Nickel by James Lynch on Scribd
Nickel has used his TikTok to post official content and political content advertising his campaign. Additionally, he made posts using official government resources such as CSPAN footage and the Capitol building for political purposes, according to the complaint.
House ethics rules and federal law require separation between political acts and campaign acts. Lawmakers are prohibited from using official resources for campaign purposes and campaign funds for official purposes.
“These violations reveal a complete disregard for the clear and longstanding prohibition of using official resources for political purposes. Complying with the law and House Ethics rules is a fundamental obligation for elected officials. The OCE must move swiftly to investigate and enforce these bright-line standards and apply the requisite penalty,” said Kendra Arnold, Executive Director of FACT.
TikTok is owned by China-based tech firm ByteDance and received bipartisan scrutiny during a Mar. 23 Congressional hearing. The platform’s alleged surveillance of American citizens is under investigation by the FBI and Congress banned it from government devices because of national security concerns.
Rep. Nicke’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.