Trump admin to 'vigorously defend' TikTok executive order after judge blocks ban: Commerce Dept.
TikTok said it will 'continue defending our rights for the benefit of our community and employees'
The Commerce Department will comply with a federal judge's decision to delay the administration's TikTok download ban for now but will continue to pursue its implementation, the department said in a statement on Sunday night.
"The E.O. is fully consistent with the law and promotes legitimate national security interests," the Commerce Department said. "The government will comply with the injunction and has taken immediate steps to do so, but intends to vigorously defend the E.O. and the secretary’s implementation efforts from legal challenges."
TRUMP'S TIKTOK DOWNLOAD BAN IS BLOCKED BY JUDGE
The ruling followed an emergency hearing Sunday morning in which lawyers for TikTok argued that the administration's app-store ban would infringe on First Amendment rights and do irreparable harm to the business.
TikTok will "continue defending our rights for the benefit of our community and employees," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday night.
In this July 21, 2020 file photo, a man opens social media app 'TikTok' on his cell phone, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
"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," the TikTok spokesperson continued.
Earlier this year, President Trump declared that TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, was a threat to national security and that it must either sell its U.S. operations to American companies or be barred from the country.
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TikTok is still scrambling to firm up a deal tentatively struck a week ago in which it would partner with Oracle, a huge database-software company, and Walmart in an effort to win the blessing of both the Chinese and American governments. In the meantime, it is fighting to keep the app available in the U.S.
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FOX Business' inquiry to the White House was not immediately returned.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.