Transcript: Rep. John Moolenaar on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Oct. 26, 2025

The next is the transcript of the interview with Rep. John Moolenaar, Republican of Michigan, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Oct. 26, 2025.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And becoming a member of us now’s the chairman of the Home Choose Committee on the Chinese language Communist Occasion, Michigan Republican Consultant John Moolenaar. Welcome, congressman.

REP. JOHN MOOLENAAR: Thanks, Margaret, good to be with you.

MARGARET BRENNAN: A lot to get to with you. However simply rapidly, if the prime adversary and risk to the US is in China and the Pacific is bringing them to the west- all of the army the Western Hemisphere in such full pressure and focus the factor to do?

REP. MOOLENAAR: Nicely, I feel we’re sending an necessary message that we’re not going to permit drug trafficking coming in and killing American lives. And you recognize, China could be very a lot behind the Fentanyl disaster that’s killed tons of of hundreds of People, and so–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –That’s out of Mexico, primarily.

REP. MOOLENAAR: Nicely, and I feel the president takes the Western Hemisphere very significantly, and getting the medicine out of our yard, I feel is a vital step ahead.

MARGARET BRENNAN: On the committee work that you simply’ve been doing, I’m positive you heard from Treasury Secretary Bessent on the prime of this system that he says China has agreed to the TikTok deal. 170 million People use this social media app. Congress had handed a regulation to pressure this sale and cited it as a nationwide safety risk if it continued to function the best way it has. Have your nationwide safety considerations concerning the app and about this transaction been addressed?

REP. MOOLENAAR: Nicely, I feel it’s necessary that we observe that it- the regulation requires a divestment and getting the Chinese language Communist Occasion management away from the app in addition to the algorithm, and it permits possession solely as much as 20% for Chinese language entity ByteDance. And to me, it’s crucial that that’s carried out. We don’t know all of the specifics of this, however we all know that American firms are very keen on taking part. There’s the proposal for a lease settlement, however the way you get that algorithm utterly out of the Chinese language management goes to be as much as the consultants. You recognize, there’s 6 million items of code on this algorithm, and we have to ensure that it’s protected for the American individuals.

MARGARET BRENNAN: In order that algorithm is the info monitoring system that’s pulled from a person’s habits. And so the accusation was additionally that this was mainly manipulating customers when it comes to what they had been in a position to see. So will that algorithm be maintained, and can upgrades solely be performed by, for instance, American engineers?

REP. MOOLENAAR: That might be my suggestion as a result of, finally, we don’t desire a Chinese language propaganda effort affecting 170 million People. We additionally need to ensure that to ensure that information from People is stored safe, and so long as the Chinese language are concerned, I feel there’s causes for mistrust, and–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Even with the 20% stake?

REP. MOOLENAAR: I’m nonetheless involved about it. Fairly frankly, you recognize, the Chinese language report back to the Chinese language Communist Occasion, and they’re going to leverage each benefit they get. However the President has set a objective of constructing this out there to the American individuals, following the regulation that was handed in a bipartisan approach and I belief that they’re doing that.

MARGARET BRENNAN: The President has not been following the letter of the regulation that you simply voted for. You recognize that.

REP. MOOLENAAR: Nicely, I feel- I feel the objective has been to come back to an settlement, to come back to a deal, they usually’ve been working very laborious to try this. However when you might have the Chinese language Communist Occasion, Xi Jinping, with direct leverage on this when it comes to what they may do, what they received’t do, it’s very tough to proceed to make that out there. However I belief the people who find themselves negotiating that, acknowledge we’ve bought to get the management of the algorithm away from the Chinese language Communist Occasion, the app, and ensure that the possession is managed by America, not China.

REP. MOOLENAAR: You recognize, I feel–

MARGARET BRENNAN: — Because it’s so highly effective.

REP. MOOLENAAR: Nicely there are some, I’m positive buyers. Not all people is solely a supporter of the President, however I consider that on this case, Congress has a task for oversight, and we can be assembly with the events of transaction. We additionally can have hearings on this, as a result of on the finish of the day, we would like this managed by American firms, no matter what their political affiliation. We don’t need it managed by the Chinese language Communist Occasion.

MARGARET BRENNAN: However Secretary Bessent mentioned he bought the Chinese language to say sure, and on Thursday, he used the phrase “consummated”, that this deal can be signed off between Xi and Trump. So are your hearings simply after the actual fact? Or, you recognize, what impact do you hope they may have?

REP. MOOLENAAR: Nicely, oversight. Congress has a authentic position of oversight. We handed a regulation–

MARGARET BRENNAN: — That means you assume this deal is finished. That this transaction is occurring, and also you’re simply going to observe it?

REP. MOOLENAAR: I might assume that if the President involves an settlement, which he’s charged to do beneath the regulation, and if that occurs on Thursday, then it is going to transfer ahead. And there could also be challenges to that regulation or the implementation of it, however Congress has a task of oversight to make sure that the regulation is adopted.

MARGARET BRENNAN: The Wall Road Journal reported that Xi Jinping referred to as TikTok, quote non secular opium, and he noticed this as identical to a low price bargaining chip for China. Do you suppose that- that’s what’s taking place right here? That that is simply a simple factor handy over to–

REP. MOOLENAAR: I consider it’s a really addictive app. China has made some huge cash due to that, however they’ve additionally used it in a approach that permits you recognize their data, their propaganda, to be propagated. They management the algorithm, and that’s why we handed that bipartisan regulation. So I consider Xi Jinping views this as a strategic asset. That’s why he didn’t need to promote it to a number of the different American firms that had been keen on buying it. So so long as they’re concerned, I feel we now have to acknowledge that TikTok, even an American model nonetheless could possibly be open to affect from the Chinese language Communist Occasion.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Or whoever owns it.

REP. MOOLENAAR: Whoever owns it.

MARGARET BRENNAN: The algorithm.

REP. MOOLENAAR: The algorithm.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Congressman, thanks very a lot, and we’ll be waiting for these hearings.

REP. MOOLENAAR: Thanks.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll be proper again.

Face The Nation TranscriptsMore

Transcript: Rep. John Moolenaar on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Oct. 26, 2025

Transcript: Sen. Lindsey Graham on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Oct. 26, 2025