https://wsj.com/politics/policy/jeff-yass-tiktok-bytedance-ban-c…
Financier Jeff Yass made a big bet on the app, and he’s a top donor to lawmakers who support it.
Club for Growth made public its opposition to banning TikTok in March, in an opinion article by its president, at a time when sentiment against the platform among segments of both parties was running high on Capitol Hill. Days later, Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) stood up on the Senate floor and quashed an attempt to fast-track a bill by Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) to ban downloading of the TikTok app.
“We will be acting like the Chinese government if we ban TikTok here,” Paul said around that time.
In June, Yass donated $3 million to a political committee backing Paul. Including that contribution, Yass and his wife, Janine Yass, have donated more than $24 million to Paul or committees that support him since 2015, according to federal records. Club for Growth has given a Paul-supporting political committee $1.8 million since 2020.
Another Club for Growth-backed Republican who came out against a TikTok ban was Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), an important ally of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Massie urged House GOP leadership to oppose a different effort in the Senate, a bipartisan bill targeting TikTok that had the backing of the Biden administration, people familiar with the situation say.
Since 2020, Jeff and Janine Yass have given $32,200 to Massie or a political-action committee supporting him.
I think Jeff Yass cares more about money than freedom. Back in Beijing they’re laughing all the way to the bank. How much is that politician on the hill? Ask Rand Paul.
