Bondi, Trump's AG voter, refuses to discuss TikTok ban with Senate

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi, told senators Wednesday she could not speak at her confirmation hearing about whether she would enforce a law that threatens to ban TikTok.

The former Florida attorney general cited pending litigation over the wildly popular video platform. But Bondi said she would consult with Justice Department officials on the matter.

Sunday is the deadline for TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. assets or allow the app to be banned nationwide unless the Supreme Court blocks it.

TikTok has asked the Supreme Court to delay or overturn the deadline, and a decision is still pending.

Supreme Court justices asked Friday during a hearing on the ban whether Trump could choose not to enforce the law because he said he would “save” the company.

Attorney General Elizabeth Prelogar, the top lawyer representing the federal government before the Supreme Court, said the president has discretion in enforcing laws.

But she said Trump should review national security information about the company when he returns to office on Monday before making his decision.

At Bondi’s confirmation hearing, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked whether she would enforce the law signed by President Joe Biden last spring because of Trump’s support for TikTok.

“TikTok will be banned unless it is sold because it has become an intelligence gathering and surveillance tool for the Chinese, endangering our national security,” Blumenthal said. “Can you commit to immediately and effectively enforcing this law?”

Trump’s first-term attorney general, Noel Francisco, represented TikTok before the Supreme Court and asked for an extension.

“I can’t talk about pending litigation,” Bondi said. “But I will absolutely speak to all the career officials – prosecutors – who are handling the case.”

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