Sen. Tom Cotton Repeatedly Asks Singaporean CEO If He's A Chinese Communist, because if you keep asking, maybe he’ll say “yes”. It’s not a bar, Tom. The lips can say no and the eyes say the same thing.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) repeatedly implied at a Senate hearing Wednesday that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has ties to the Chinese Communist party, forcing Chew to remind Cotton over and over again that he’s not Chinese.
“You said today, as you often say, that you live in Singapore. Of what nation are you a citizen?” Cotton asked Chew at the committee hearing on children’s online safety. When Chew replied that he’s a Singaporean citizen, Cotton continued to press him on his nationality.
“Are you a citizen of any other nation?” Cotton asked. “Have you ever applied for Chinese citizenship?” Chew once again replied no to both questions.
“Have you ever been a member of the Chinese Communist Party?” Cotton asked.
A visibly frustrated Chew responded firmly: “Senator, I’m Singaporean. No.”
But Cotton wouldn’t let up. “Have you ever been associated or affiliated with Chinese Communist Party?” he asked.