Rep. Mike Gallagher led the charge against TikTok just days before accepting a job at U.S. defense contractor Palantir, whose executives have advocated for banning the app.Last month, the Republican Chair of the House China Committee, Mike Gallagher, achieved one of his highest priorities in Congress: getting the House torequiring that TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divest from the popular app — or see it banned in the United States., a U.S.
It is rare for members of Congress to actually file employment negotiation disclosures — the last two times such notice was filed were by Texas Rep. Filemon Vela in 2022, and before that, by Virginia Rep. James Moran in 2014. But it is equally rare for members to resign from Congress in the middle of a term, as Gallagher
: “Congressman Gallagher knows and complies with the House Rules, which includes those about negotiating outside employment.” The bill championed by Gallagher last month marked a major escalation in legislative action against TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media app with more than 170 million users in the U.S. It would require TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the app within 180 days or face a ban in the U.S. The House passed it by an overwhelming 352-65 margin with support from President Joe Biden, who said he would sign the bill if it reached his desk.
Still, Kappel said, given that Gallagher announced that he is leaving Congress early, and given confirmation from sources that he accepted a job, “it certainly seems as though he should’ve filed a notice.”