The Biden administration has reportedly shelved the plans to force Chinese-owned ByteDance to sell the popular video-sharing app TikTok as it weighs potential security risks.
Former President TrumpDonald TrumpSchoen says Trump team will be ‘very well prepared’ after criticism Iowa Republicans seek to cut funding for schools with 1619 Project in curriculum Capitol rioter seen smoking in Rotunda arrested MORE’s effort to force the sale of the app was incomplete before he left office, and President BidenJoe BidenPostal Service posts profits after surge in holiday deliveries Overnight Defense: Pentagon pushes to root out extremism in ranks | Top admiral condemns extremism after noose, hate speech discovered GOP senators send clear signal: Trump’s getting acquitted MORE is pushing back on pursuing a plan of his own as the administration reviews its predecessor’s efforts to address potential security risks from Chinese tech companies, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
National security officials and ByteDance representatives have continued discussions, people familiar with the plan told the Journal.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We plan to develop a comprehensive approach to securing U.S. data that addresses the full range of threats we face,” National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne told the Journal. “This includes the risk posed by Chinese apps and other software that operate in the U.S. In the coming months, we expect to review specific cases in light of a comprehensive understanding of the risks we face.”
Spokespeople for the White House and TikTok were not immediately available to The Hill for comment.
Trump had sought to overhaul how the popular app operates in the U.S., alleging the company posed a threat to national security. TikTok has denied the allegations.
Trump tentatively approved a deal that would have created a U.S.-based headquarter with Oracle and Walmart as partial owners, but the former administration extended the deadline and never reached a deal before President Biden came into office.
In December, a Treasury Department spokesperson under the Trump administration said the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) was still engaging with ByteDance to complete the divestment, but the department would not be extending the deadline.
The Treasury Department has not responded to multiple requests for comment regarding plans to push forward with the unfinished Trump administration deal.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Journal reported that any deal the Biden administration reaches would likely be different than the one Trump tentatively approved before he left office.
TikTok has also continued to push back on the Trump administration’s push to force the sale of the app in court. TikTok asked a federal appeals court in Washington in November to vacate the order calling for the divestiture, and the case is still pending.
Separate federal court rulings have blocked the government from shutting TikTok down.
The government’s formal response to TikTok’s court challenge against Trump’s executive order is due later this month, the Journal noted. A spokesperson for the Justice Department was not immediately available for comment.