Home International Video: Regarding TikTok, Sen. Mark Warner Says He’s Pushing For a “comprehensive...

Video: Regarding TikTok, Sen. Mark Warner Says He’s Pushing For a “comprehensive [approach] rather than a one-off where you name a specific company”

Sen. Warner also continues to make his case for putting the new FBI headquarters in Springfield, VA, which he says "really looks like the face of Virginia...of America"

904
0

See below for video of Sen. Mark Warner’s weekly Q&A with the press. A few highlights include:

  • Sen. Warner reiterated his support for locating the new FBI headquarters in Springfield, Virginia. According to Sen. Warner,  “clearly the Springfield site being much closer to the training facility at Quantico, the fact that there are other FBI facilities from our record storage to other assets close by…the fact that we’ve got Metro at that site, the fact that it’s already a federally owned facility all very strongly lean in favor of Virginia over the Maryland locations.
  • On locating the FBI headquarters in Springfield, Sen. Warner added: “One of the things that we wanted to show yesterday…and I commend President Biden for doing this, including as one of the criteria equity. And what we wanted to show was you know the FBI workforce which used to be virtually exclusively white males needs to look like the face of America. And in Springfield you’ve got a community that is a majority minority, it is a community when you add in eastern Prince William where Quantico is and parts of the city of Alexandria is, really looks like the face of Virginia…of America; it’s black, it’s Hispanic, it’s Asian, it’s different faith traditions like Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and others.” 
  • On the Chinese spy balloon[s], Sen. Warner says he gets “asked about [it] literally on a daily basis.” He added: We have
    done a good job of recovering…some of the component parts and there is now a deep intelligence analysis going on…I’m betting that these were simply weather balloons or other commercial balloons put up that does not seem to be any evidence to date…that there was any kind of…threat to America from these other objects…”
  • On TikTok, Sen. Warner said “I want to make clear I did not say I don’t support a full and complete ban; I think a full and complete ban needs to be on the table. What I’ve been saying is our efforts so far when we find a foreign-based technology that causes a national security issue, and I believe
    TikTok falls into that category…What we’ve had is this ad hoc approach where it’s kind of like whack-a-mole. What I’m saying…is how we can put in place a more comprehensive approach that will stand up to legal muster…where a Commerce Department could put prohibitions up to and including a full ban, but in a way that that is not simply it’s TikTok today and Huawei yesterday and who knows what tomorrow. We need an approach to realize foreign technology and national security is going to have an increasing nexus and we have to make sure we’ve got a system to keep Americans safe. I am at this moment in time…trying to get this legislation right and I’m in active conversations with a number of my Republican friends…and doing this in a way that will be greeted as a smart way rather than a one-off approach….I want to do this in a bipartisan fashion and we’re going through the you know that due diligence process with a number of my Republican friends…I think I’ve got a much more comprehensive approach that actually will stand up to legal questions and I think my approach will will be ultimately the one that will be successful…the idea of something that’s comprehensive rather than a one-off where you name a specific company and go after a specific company which frankly simply invites retaliation against American companies, I don’t think that’s the right approach.”

********************************************************


Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter

Previous articleVA Senate Education and Health Committee Defeats Harmful So-called “Born Alive” and Biased Counseling Bills
Next articleLeading Up to VA04 Special Election on 2/21, “Informing Democracy” Report Identifies Election Officials “Who Raise Anti-Democracy Concerns”