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Senators Cotton and Ricketts Oppose TikTok Ban Extension, Demand ByteDance Sale to Sever China Ties

Jan 19, 2025, 02:29 PM

Senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts, with Cotton serving as the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and part of GOP leadership, have taken a firm stance against extending the effective date of the TikTok ban, despite indications from former President Donald Trump that he might seek to delay it. The senators, representing Arkansas (R-AR) and Nebraska (R-NE) respectively, argue that with the law now in effect, there is no legal basis for any kind of extension. They emphasize that for TikTok to operate legally in the future, ByteDance must agree to a sale that meets the law's qualified-divestiture requirements, completely severing ties with Communist China. This position is supported by the assertion that ByteDance has not shown significant progress toward a qualified divestiture, as required by the law.