Texas AG Paxton investigating Chinese app TikTok over human and drug smuggling posts
Texas' investigation into TikTok could lead to criminal lawsuit
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told FOX Business' Maria Bartiromo during an exclusive interview on "Mornings with Maria" that he is launching an investigation into TikTok over content promoting criminal border activity such as human and drug smuggling.
"They supposedly are recruiting teenagers through TikTok, and the cartels, and using it to smuggle people, drugs," Paxton said, "and it's part of the whole infrastructure, potentially, of the cartels using the border for all kinds of profitable activities that are bad for this country."
The Texas Department of Public Safety has gathered TikTok content allegedly showing cartels offering stacks of cash to drive migrants or illicit substances across the border. The civil investigation by Paxton suggests a potential lawsuit against the social media platform could follow.
"Civil investigative demands are just questions for TikTok, to find out what their policies are, to find out what their experience has been, whether they know about this, if they have known about it, whether they report it to law enforcement," Paxton noted.
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"We're going to find out what's really going on because obviously, we don't want companies participating in human smuggling, sex trafficking and drug trafficking," he continued.
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Paxton said TikTok has until March 14 to hand over its findings.
"If we see something that we believe is a violation of our state law," the attorney general explained, "we'll definitely pursue that, not just that investigation, but we'll pursue them in court."
TikTok did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment.
When Bartiromo asked whether Paxton has heard from President Biden regarding border concerns, he responded: "No communication that I know of."
Paxton has filed 29 lawsuits against the administration since Biden took office.
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Texas AG launches investigation into TikTok, smuggling content
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton details a new lawsuit aimed at social platform TikTok for recruiting cartel-related activities.
"There's no transparency here," Paxton said. "The president doesn't want the American people to know about it, so he doesn't talk about it and he doesn't provide information to help us prevent crime in our country."
TikTok previously responded to Fox News following a press conference from Gov. Greg Abbott on the topic last month: "TikTok strictly prohibits content that seeks to promote or facilitate criminal activities, and we would remove leaders of cartels or gangs if they were identified on our platform. We also work with third-party intelligence firms to bolster our defenses and make reports to law enforcement as appropriate. We'd welcome the opportunity to work with the governor in this important area."