US Commerce Department defends Trump administration’s TikTok ban after new court ruling
- Parties in the dispute were ordered to confer by September 30 to propose further steps
- The Trump administration on Friday filed an objection to TikTok’s request to stop the ban
The US Commerce Department defended President Trump’s executive order banning TikTok from the United States on Monday, saying that while it would comply with a court order issued Sunday that delayed the ban, it intends to “vigorously defend” the executive order and its “implementation efforts” from legal challenges.
“The [executive order] is fully consistent with the law and promotes legitimate national security interests,” the US Commerce Department said in a statement issued Monday Hong Kong time.
On Sunday, Federal District Judge Carl Nichols said that his opinion on the matter, which is still sealed, would need to be reviewed by the plaintiffs and defendants on Monday to decide whether the full decision can be made public, and that the parties would need to confer by Wednesday on next steps in the dispute.
“We’re pleased that the court agreed with our legal arguments and issued an injunction preventing the implementation of the TikTok app ban,” a TikTok spokeswoman said in a statement issued Monday morning Beijing time.
“We will continue defending our rights for the benefit of our community and employees. At the same time, we will also maintain our ongoing dialogue with the government to turn our proposal, which the President gave his preliminary approval to last weekend, into an agreement.”
On August 6, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening to ban TikTok and WeChat, a Chinese-owned messaging app, saying the companies could be required to turn over users’ personal data to Beijing and pose a national security risk.