House China panel seeks briefing on TikTok deal
Rep. John Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, requested an urgent White House briefing on the proposed TikTok divestment deal one day after President Trump signed an executive order supporting the arrangement. Moolenaar praised the move toward U.S. ownership but warned that the statute requires severing operational ties — especially around the recommendation algorithm — and demanded details about how the deal will meet those legal guardrails.
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📰 Sources (1)
Rep. John Moolenaar, chair of China panel, demands urgent briefing on TikTok deal
New information:
- Rep. John Moolenaar (R‑Mich.) formally asked for an urgent briefing on Sept. 26, 2025 about the TikTok transaction and compliance with the divestiture law.
- The White House signed an executive order the prior day backing a proposed deal that would give a U.S. investment group roughly an 80% controlling stake while ByteDance would hold under 20%; Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. venture would be valued at about $14 billion.
- Central points of contention include whether the new U.S. entity would license ByteDance’s recommendation algorithm and whether any board or operational ties to ByteDance would violate the statute’s requirement to sever algorithmic and operational cooperation; Oracle is reported as an auditing/monitoring partner.