WASHINGTON – Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) is demanding answers from President Donald Trump regarding the proposed sale of TikTok‘s US operations,questioning whether the administration has secured a deal that adequately addresses national security concerns. 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 in 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 law intended to mitigate risks posed by foreign-owned technology. It granted the consortium 120 days to finalize the transaction while simultaneously delaying enforcement of a potential ban on the app, which boasts 170 million American users, until January 20.
Markey alleges the White House has failed to respond to repeated requests for information and has not adhered to the stipulations of the 2024 law.In a letter to Trump on Monday, the Senator wrote, “Your repeated unlawful extensions of the divestment deadline and vague comments about the deal raise significant questions about whether you have been able to secure an agreement that keeps TikTok online and addresses the national security concerns posed by ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok.”
Markey further stated, “Congress and the American people need to understand the terms and status of this supposed agreement.” The senator’s concerns center on ensuring any agreement fully resolves potential security risks associated with ByteDance’s control of the platform and its vast user data.