WASHINGTON – Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) is demanding answers from President Donald Trumpโ regarding the proposed sale of TikTok‘s US operations,questioning whether โคthe administration hasโฃ secured a deal that adequately addresses national security concerns.โข The inquiry comes after Trump signed an executive order on September 25 approving a plan for TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell a majority stake inโฃ the short-video app to a group of US and global investors.
The executive order declared the proposed sale met the requirements of a 2024 lawโฃ intendedโฃ to mitigate risks posed by foreign-owned technology.โค It โขgranted the consortium 120 days to finalize the transaction โคwhile simultaneously delaying enforcement of a potential banโข on the app, which โขboasts 170 million American users, until January 20. โ
Markey alleges the White House has failed to respond to repeated requests for information and has not โadhered to the stipulations of the 2024 law.In a โletterโฃ to Trump โฃon Monday, the Senator wrote, “Your โrepeated unlawful extensions of the divestment deadline and vague comments about the deal raise significant questions about whether you haveโ been able to secure an agreement that keeps TikTok online and addresses the national security โconcerns posed by ByteDance’s โคownership of TikTok.”
Markey further stated, “Congress and the American people need toโ understand the terms and status of this supposed agreement.” The senator’s concerns center on ensuringโค any agreement fully resolves potential security risks associated with ByteDance’s control of the platform and its vast user data.
