Tom Cotton: 'Hell of a Coincidence' Shou Zi Chew Became TikTok CEO Day After Inking Deal with China

Sen. Tom Cotton on Wednesday said there was a "Hell of a coincidence" in how Shou Zi Chew became the CEO of TikTok the day after he brokered a deal with China. During the hearing, Cotton noted the strong ties between TikTok and the Chinese Communist Party. Shou Zi Chew, chief executive officer of TikTok Inc. Photographer: Bryan van der Beek/Bloomberg via Getty Images. Cotton said that Shou Zi Chew used to be the chief financial officer of Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok. "It's for the Chinese business, yes," the TikTok CEO responded. "TikTok's CEO dodged simple questions today about both his and TikTok's relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. Shou Chew knows that anyone, especially senior leadership in a Chinese company, can work with the Chinese communists," Cotton wrote. Cotton added, "TikTok's parent company ByteDance is required to turn over any American's data the Chinese Communist Party asks for. Yet TikTok's CEO wants us to believe the app is safe for Americans. He's lying, and we should ban TikTok."