Senators push to declassify TikTok intel and hold a public hearing ahead of ban vote

Senators from both parties say the public should get access to at least some of the sensitive information that U.S. agencies shared at a closed-door classified intelligence briefing Wednesday about the influence and reach of TikTok.

Many senators emerging from the session argued it was time to take up House-passed legislation that would force the Chinese owner of TikTok to divest or face a ban in the United States. But it's clear that any Senate action could take weeks, if not months, and the chamber is likely to put its own stamp on a bill.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, endorsed the House bill and told reporters he backed declassifying some of the analysis communicated in the briefing, which he organized for his colleagues to discuss the impact of the video-sharing app.

"The reality is that we have that entity having that much personal data, access to, and that much potential to manipulate content on a platform that a lot of young people look to as their No. 1 news source," Warner said.

Warner noted that after the House received a similar briefing about national security concerns, a key committee approved a bill 50-0. The measure was then overwhelmingly approved by the House 352-65. But Warner said there is a need for more senators and the public to process the information, and the senators aren't likely to act as swiftly as their House counterparts, despite many echoing concerns about the issues posed by the app.

"My reaction to this briefing is that TikTok is a gun aimed at Americans' heads," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told reporters while leaving the session, adding, "The Chinese Communists are weaponizing information that they are constantly, surreptitiously