U.S. House Committee Votes to Release TikTok Hearing Transcript

A U.S. House committee voted to release a transcript of a closed-door hearing concerning threats posed by TikTok. The Justice Department needs the document to defend a law that could force TikTok's Chinese owner to divest its U.S. assets. TikTok and ByteDance oppose the law.

A U.S. House committee on Thursday voted to release a transcript of a closed-door hearing held in March. The hearing focused on threats posed by TikTok to the Justice Department as it defends a law that seeks to force TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, to divest the app's U.S. assets.

China-based ByteDance, TikTok, and a coalition of TikTok creators have filed lawsuits aimed at blocking the law. If ByteDance fails to divest by January 19, the app, which has 170 million American users, could face a ban. The Justice Department requested the transcript from the Energy and Commerce Committee to support its litigation efforts, said Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the committee chair.

It remains uncertain whether any part of the transcript will be made public.