Senator Kelly: ‘Serious Consequences’ Needed For China’s Hack
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) said that communist China needs to be punished for its massive cyberattack on U.S. telecommunications companies.
Kelly made the remarks during a Sunday interview on CBS News’ “Face The Nation” with Margaret Brennan when asked what the consequences need to be with China.
“We’ve got to be strong in standing up to them and explaining to them, and in some cases, I think consequences need to be serious,” he said. “There are things that we can do, we have the tools. But I would say, even beyond that, we’ve got to figure out a way to get them off of the infrastructure.”
“With regards to the telecom system, multiple companies, you know, Chinese cyber software are currently on those systems, and we’re working to try to fix this,” he added. “Some of this is going to require that the- the telecom companies upgrade their infrastructure. That could be costly. We’re currently working with them to do that.”
WATCH:
There could be “a disruption in the service” of TikTok in the U.S. when the ban put into law goes into effect on January 19, unless the Supreme Court intervenes, says Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ).
He says he knows the ban is “controversial,” but TikTok “has a national security risk to… pic.twitter.com/y3LWgIE8gI
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 12, 2025
On the issue of TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media app, Kelly said that app will likely go dark starting next weekend.
“Based on the oral argument in the case two days ago, it looks like the Supreme Court- I mean, I don’t really want to speculate, but it does look like they’re going to uphold the law that we passed,” Kelly said. “So, I think on the 19th, so one day before- before the inauguration, you know, TikTok on our systems, on our servers, becomes something that’s now been banned by Congress.”
“So I imagine there’s going to be a disruption in the service here, you know, starting on the 19th,” he continued. “I know this is controversial. I know there are folks out there that earn a living, you know, on Tiktok, but it has a national security risk to it. You know, one is the data, one of the risks. The thing that I’m more concerned about is their ability to manipulate the- the population of the United States, especially in time of a conflict. So it was the right decision. I voted for it. And it looks like the Supreme Court is going to uphold the legislation that we passed.”
WATCH:
There could be “a disruption in the service” of TikTok in the U.S. when the ban put into law goes into effect on January 19, unless the Supreme Court intervenes, says Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ).
He says he knows the ban is “controversial,” but TikTok “has a national security risk to… pic.twitter.com/y3LWgIE8gI
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 12, 2025