A fresh legal battle has erupted in Washington D.C. involving U.S. President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi over last year’s controversial approval of a revised ownership deal for TikTok’s American operations.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, alleges that the U.S. government’s endorsement of the arrangement between TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance and a newly formed majority‑American joint venture was unlawful and failed to satisfy the standards set out in the 2024 national security legislation.
The case lodged in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit was brought by the Public Integrity Project, representing two U.S. retail investors whose holdings include shares in rival social media companies.
What the lawsuit is saying
In a detailed complaint, the group argues that the White House and Department of Justice disregarded legal requirements and procedural safeguards when they signed off on the deal, which was touted as a solution to longstanding geopolitical and data security concerns linked to TikTok’s Chinese ownership.
- At the heart of the plaintiffs’ argument is the assertion that the approval process skirted key provisions of the 2024 foreign investment law, which was designed to ensure that critical digital infrastructure and platforms with access to sensitive user data remain free from undue foreign influence.
- According to the lawsuit, the government’s final approval lacks sufficient evidence that ByteDance would relinquish control over data flows, algorithms, and content moderation policies elements critics say pose national security risks and influence over U.S. public discourse.
The plaintiffs contend that the arrangement effectively places veto power over certain operations in the hands of individuals with close ties to the Trump administration, creating “an undue potential for political censorship” on one of the most widely used social media platforms in the world.
What you should know
Nairametrics reported earlier that President Donald Trump confirmed in September 2025 that media moguls Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch would be part of the investor group taking control of the app’s U.S. operations.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump said Lachlan Murdoch is “involved” in the deal, and suggested his father, Rupert, could also join the group.
He added that Oracle’s executive chairman, Larry Ellison and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell were likely to participate as well.
Also, TikTok had agreed with Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX to establish a U.S.-majority joint venture. The U.S. investors will hold a 45% stake, while ByteDance retains a minority share. The deal is expected to close on January 22, 2026.
