Libs of TikTok founder calls NBC News ‘embarrassing’ for bomb threat allegations

Libs of TikTok founder Chaya Raichik responded to recent attacks on her popular X account by accusing the media of fake outrage for her exposés of wrong-doing by schools and teachers.

Her account, which goes by the name “Libs of TikTok,” has risen to prominence because of its viral distribution of largely public videos or photos revealing teachers or schools engaged in controversial activities.

Many of those activities include promoting radical gender and sex ideology, as well as critical race theory and mature sexual themes, considered by many to be inappropriate for school-aged children. 

“They’re not outraged about a teacher making onlyfans in preschool,” wrote Raichik on the Libs of TikTok account, referring to an NBC News report blaming her for threats of violence the schools receive.  

“They’re not outraged about p*rn in schools,” she continued. “They’re not outraged that teachers are telling kids they can be trans and hiding things from parents.” 

The author of the NBC report, David Ingram, wrote: “NBC News identified 33 instances, starting in November 2020, when people or institutions singled out by Libs of TikTok later reported bomb threats or other violent intimidation.” 

However, authorities have never claimed Libs of TikTok was responsible for any threats, Ingram acknowledged, nor has the social media group been mentioned in any documents charging people with crimes. 

In only three of the cases did prosecutors pursue criminal charges, and some of the threats were determined to have come from foreign countries. Others were considered hoaxes.   

“They’re just outraged that I’m exposing it,” Raichik wrote about NBC’s motives for the story. “Very telling and embarrassing for @David_Ingram @NBCNews!” 

Pressure for social media companies to shut-down, censor or deplatform Libs of TikTok is not new.  

In a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing held in March 2023 on “Preserving Free Speech and Reining in Big Tech Censorship,” at least six documents from major media and liberal organizations were submitted, warning that a failure to censor Libs of TikTok would result in violence or bigotry. 

Demands of censorship came from the Washington Post, MSNBC, The Wrap, Vice and liberal lobbyist Media Matters for America. 

Since 2019, bomb threats in the U.S. have risen dramatically, after years of decline. 

In 2019, the ATF reported a total of 162 bomb threats to education institutions.  

“Generally, we’ve seen an increase in bomb threats targeting both universities, community colleges, technical schools, and elementary schools,” said Sean Haglund, associate director of the Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP) at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) last year. “What that’s resulted in are just some pretty staggering numbers – a total of 725 bomb threats have been directed towards those facilities since January of 2022.” 

Requests for comments by The Lion from Raichik, NBC News reporter David Ingram and NBC’s assistant managing editor, Jason Abbruzzese, went unanswered as of publication.