Fond du Lac police say suspect set fire to congressman’s office over TikTok ban

Fond du Lac Police say a 19-year-old man Sunday set fire to a Wisconsin congressman’s office over the federal ban on TikTok.

The department responded around 1 a.m. Sunday to a fire at a strip mall that houses an office of U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Glenbeulah.

Officers arrested a man from Menasha near the building who admitted to starting the fire “in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban”, according to a department press release.

Police did not identify the man but said they expect more information to be released if the man is charged by the Fond du Lac District Attorney.

Grothman said in a Facebook post Sunday that no one was hurt in the fire and the damage was contained. He was part of the supermajority of members of Congress who in March 2024 voted in favor of banning the popular video-sharing app if its Chinese parent company did not cut ties with the platform’s U.S. operations due to national security concerns. President Joe Biden signed that bill into law in April.

But the app was restored for users by Sunday afternoon. President-elect Donald Trump said in post on Truth Social Sunday that he planned to issue an executive order delaying the ban on his first day in office. 

TikTok leaders said in a post on X that Trump’s promise had provided “the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans.”

Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed.