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 could be the chairman of the Home Choose Committee on the Chinese language Communist Get together, 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 america is in China and the Pacific is bringing them to the west- all of the navy the Western Hemisphere in such full pressure and focus the factor to do?

REP. MOOLENAAR: Nicely, I feel we’re sending an essential message that we’re not going to permit drug trafficking coming in and killing American lives. And you already know, China may be very a lot behind the Fentanyl disaster that is killed a whole bunch of hundreds of Individuals, and so–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –That is out of Mexico, primarily.

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

MARGARET BRENNAN: On the committee work that you’ve got been doing, I am certain you heard from Treasury Secretary Bessent on the prime of this system that he says China has agreed to the TikTok deal. 170 million Individuals 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 is essential that we notice that it- the regulation requires a divestment and getting the Chinese language Communist Get together 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 is essential that that is carried out. We do not know all of the specifics of this, however we all know that American firms are very fascinated about collaborating. There’s the proposal for a lease settlement, however the way you get that algorithm fully out of the Chinese language management goes to be as much as the specialists. You understand, there’s 6 million items of code on this algorithm, and we have to guarantee that it is protected for the American individuals.

MARGARET BRENNAN: In order that algorithm is the information monitoring system that is pulled from a consumer’s habits. And so the accusation was additionally that this was mainly manipulating customers by way of what they have been capable of see. So will that algorithm be maintained, and can upgrades solely be performed by, for instance, American engineers?

REP. MOOLENAAR: That will be my advice as a result of, finally, we do not desire a Chinese language propaganda effort affecting 170 million Individuals. We additionally need to guarantee that to guarantee that knowledge from Individuals is saved 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 am nonetheless involved about it. Fairly frankly, you already know, the Chinese language report back to the Chinese language Communist Get together, 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 means 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 understand that.

REP. MOOLENAAR: Nicely, I feel- I feel the objective has been to return to an settlement, to return to a deal, they usually’ve been working very onerous to do this. However when you’ve got the Chinese language Communist Get together, Xi Jinping, with direct leverage on this by way of what they are going to do, what they will not do, it’s extremely troublesome to proceed to make that out there. However I belief the people who find themselves negotiating that, acknowledge we have to get the management of the algorithm away from the Chinese language Communist Get together, the app, and guarantee that the possession is managed by America, not China.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So let’s speak about that possession. The president stated the buyers would come with Michael Dell, Lachlan Murdoch, whose household owns Fox Information, and Larry Ellison, whose son owns Paramount, guardian firm of CBS Information. Do you’ve got considerations that people who find themselves boosters of the President may have possession of social media on this means?

REP. MOOLENAAR: You understand, I feel– 

MARGARET BRENNAN: — Since it is so highly effective. 

REP. MOOLENAAR: Nicely there are some, I am certain buyers. Not everyone is solely a supporter of the President, however I consider that on this case, Congress has a task for oversight, and we will probably be assembly with the events of transaction. We additionally may have hearings on this, as a result of on the finish of the day, we wish this managed by American firms, no matter what their political affiliation. We do not need it managed by the Chinese language Communist Get together. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: However Secretary Bessent stated he received the Chinese language to say sure, and on Thursday, he used the phrase “consummated”, that this deal will probably be signed off between Xi and Trump. So are your hearings simply after the very fact? Or, you already know, what impact do you hope they are going to have? 

REP. MOOLENAAR: Nicely, oversight. Congress has a respectable function of oversight. We handed a law– 

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

REP. MOOLENAAR: I’d assume that if the President involves an settlement, which he is charged to do below 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 Avenue Journal reported that Xi Jinping known as TikTok, quote religious opium, and he noticed this as similar to a low price bargaining chip for China. Do you suppose that- that is what’s taking place right here? That that is simply a straightforward factor at hand over to– 

REP. MOOLENAAR: I consider it is a very addictive app. China has made some huge cash due to that, however they’ve additionally used it in a means that permits you already know their info, their propaganda, to be propagated. They management the algorithm, and that is why we handed that bipartisan regulation. So I consider Xi Jinping views this as a strategic asset. That is why he did not need to promote it to among the different American firms that have been fascinated about buying it. So so long as they’re concerned, I feel we’ve got to acknowledge that TikTok, even an American model nonetheless may very well be open to affect from the Chinese language Communist Get together.

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 anticipating these hearings. 

REP. MOOLENAAR: Thanks. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll be proper again.