Former US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Prepares Investor Group To Buy TikTok

JAKARTA - Former US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC on Thursday March 14 that he was gathering an investor group to try to buy TikTok.

His comments came just a day after the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would give Chinese TikTok owners, ByteDance, about to release assets in the US or face bans.

TikTok has named the bill a "ban" and urged senators to listen to their constituents before taking any action.

"I think the bill should be approved and I think it should be sold," Mnuchin told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Thursday. "It's a great business and I'm going to assemble a group to buy TikTok," he said.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said on Wednesday March 13 that the company would use its legal rights to prevent a ban.