The Strangest Part Of The CFIUS-TikTok Ordeal Is The Chatter

International Trade Partner Antonia Tzinova was quoted in a Law360 article about whether the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) will compel TikTok to sell itself to a U.S. buyer like Microsoft to maintain a presence in the country. The most unique aspect of the situation is the public nature of the discourse. CFIUS, which is charged with examining mergers and acquisitions for national security purposes, is normally tight-lipped about which matters it is reviewing and why. Yet, CFIUS has recently been in the limelight amid ongoing public commentary by top government officials, including President Donald Trump himself. On Monday, Trump suggested during a televised White House meeting that, in the event Microsoft does wind up buying the U.S. operations of TikTok, the U.S. Treasury Department should receive some of the purchase price.

"There's no basis in law for that," said Mr. Tzinova. "The price is not a concern for CFIUS, and how you find a buyer is not a concern, as long as the buyer is a legitimate U.S. company."

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