Lawmaker Says US Shouldn’t Relent on Forcing China’s ByteDance to Sell TikTok
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., said March 19 that a deal that allows ByteDance to retain control of TikTok would violate a U.S. law requiring the Chinese company to sell the popular social media application.
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“The U.S. should not tolerate a compromise on the sale of TikTok,” Moolenaar tweeted. “The app's [Chinese Communist Party (CCP)]-affiliated ownership poses a threat to our national security, and the future of the tech industry. The law is clear -- any deal on TikTok must eliminate the CCP's influence and control of the app.”
Moolenaar said he’s concerned about “reports” that ByteDance is trying to retain control of the app in any potential deal.
President Donald Trump directed DOJ Jan. 20 to hold off for 75 days, or until April 5, on enforcing an April 2024 law that calls for ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a ban on the app in the U.S. (see 2501210051 and 2502250043). Trump said he would “pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans."