Top House Republicans request classified TikTok briefing

Three top House Republicans are requesting a classified briefing from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Chinese technology platforms including TikTok.

“While we remain deeply concerned with TikTok, such concerns extend beyond the popular short-form video app,” House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Energy and Commerce ranking member Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) wrote in a letter Monday. “Accordingly, to learn more about such significant threats, we respectfully request a classified briefing on TikTok and other technology companies with purported ties to the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] at your earliest convenience.”

The request comes amid renewed scrutiny of TikTok for its ties to China.

The short-form video app’s parent company, ByteDance, is headquartered in and operates out of Beijing, though TikTok says its American data has been moved to servers in the U.S.

That connection has riled China hawks for months, but the situation escalated last week when President Trump threatened to block the popular app from operating in the U.S.

Although his authority to do so is questionable, the Treasury Department’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has reportedly asked ByteDance to sell off TikTok.

Microsoft confirmed Sunday that it has been exploring a deal to purchase the app after speaking with Trump.

Microsoft said that it would complete discussions with TikTok by Sept. 15. The companies have both provided a notice of intent to the CFIUS to explore a proposal that would give Microsoft ownership of the app in United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.