House Republican opposes Chinese control in TikTok deal

Representative John Moolenaar, who leads the House committee focused on countering China, has issued a stern warning regarding TikTok. He stated that any agreement to keep TikTok operating in the U.S. must fully remove control from its parent company, ByteDance, based in China. Moolenaar made his position clear in an opinion piece published today. His comments come as the White House is reportedly considering a deal where Oracle, an American firm, would take over TikTok’s operations in the U.S. Moolenaar insisted that ByteDance must completely divest control and have no influence over the app. He emphasized that any deal that retains Chinese influence would not be legal. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law banning TikTok as long as it stays under Chinese control. This law received bipartisan support in Congress and was signed by then-President Biden. Trump had previously paused enforcement of this law while attempting to negotiate a solution before a deadline set for April 5. Concerns remain about how much influence China would retain under a potential deal with Oracle. Moolenaar expressed skepticism about a previous attempt by ByteDance called “Project Texas,” which aimed to secure American user data. He labeled the plan ineffective, citing ongoing data flows to China and the company’s ability to manipulate TikTok’s content. As discussions continue, it is uncertain what actions Congress might take if a deal is perceived to conflict with existing laws.