TikTok Enlisted Ex-Disney Communications Chief Zenia Mucha as Adviser in Fight Against U.S. Ban (Report)
variety.comTodd Spangler NY Digital Editor Zenia Mucha, formerly Disney’s top spokesperson for almost two decades, was recruited to be part of the team that coached TikTok’s CEO for his congressional hearing earlier this month, according to a new report.
In addition to Mucha, TikTok tapped former Obama advisers David Plouffe and Jim Messina to prep Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, for more than a month before Chew’s March 23 appearance before the House Energy and Commerce Committee — which observers said only reinforced anti-TikTok attitudes among both Republican and Democratic lawmakers concerned about the app’s Chinese ownership by parent company ByteDance.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mucha could not be reached for comment. The U.S. government has threatened to ban on TikTok unless ByteDance sells its interest in the app.
Analysts said the chances of an American ban on the app increased after Chew’s appearance House hearing, given lawmakers’ skepticism about the TikTok CEO’s answers about China’s influence over TikTok and the communist regime’s ability to track user data via the app, as well as TikTok’s efforts to curb misinformation and harmful content.
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