Trump urged by senators to back Congressional plan for TikTok sale extension

WASHINGTON: Three Democratic senators urged the White House on Monday to seek authority from Congress to extend a deadline for China's ByteDance to sell TikTok to safeguard the popular video sharing app from a potential ban.

Trump in January unilaterally extended the sale deadline from January 19 to April 5 by postponing enforcement of a law passed last year that requires ByteDance to sell a majority stake to US owners or face a ban on the app in the United States.

Trump said last month that he could further extend that deadline to give himself time to shepherd a deal.

"This non-enforcement of the TikTok ban was not only unlawful but also raised serious questions about TikTok's future," wrote Senators Ed Markey, Chris Van Hollen and Cory Booker, urging the president to back legislation extending the deadline to October.

"The path to saving TikTok should run through Capitol Hill."

The White House and TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Reuters reported last week that White House-led TikTok talks are coalescing around a plan for the biggest non-Chinese investors in ByteDance to up their stakes and acquire the app's US operations, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.

The plan entails spinning off a US entity for TikTok and diluting Chinese ownership to avert a US ban, the sources said.

The fate of the app, used by 170 million Americans, has remained uncertain for months.

"We urge you to stand up for TikTok’s users and use your immense influence over congressional Republicans to demand a long-term solution to the TikTok ban," the senators wrote.

The law, passed last year with broad bipartisan support, reflects concern in Washington that Beijing could use the app to conduct influence operations against the United States.

The app went dark briefly, then came back online shortly after Trump's inauguration.

Reuters and others reported in January that the Trump administration was working on a plan that would involve tapping software giant Oracle and some existing ByteDance investors to take control of the app's operations.

The Democratic senators said they want Trump to say whether he plans to extend the deadline and, if so, on what legal basis.

They also want to know if news reports are accurate that say the White House "is considering a potential deal with Oracle under which Oracle would take a stake in TikTok" and provide security for TikTok's user data.

Trump said earlier this month his administration was in touch with four unidentified groups about a prospective TikTok deal.