Trump IGNORES The Law to Protect TikTok?

President Trump just issued an executive order telling the Attorney General not to enforce the bipartisan law designed to force a TikTok sale — a law he once supported. Despite Congress passing it and the Supreme Court upholding it, Trump now claims TikTok isn’t a threat and that enforcement isn’t necessary. Critics say this is a dangerous abuse of power and a direct violation of his duty to execute the law. So can a president really ignore a law just because he wants to? You decide.

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*This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription software company, so please excuse any typos.

In an executive order issued on June 19th, Donald Trump told the executive branch department to take no action to enforce the requirements set by the protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications act. This act that was originally supported by Trump is meant to force the Chinese owners of TikTok to sell it in order to protect the United States' national security interests from China, mainly to prevent China from accessing US citizens' Online data. The act creates civil penalties for companies that helped TikTok be updated or distributed in the United States. The ACT had broad support by both parties in Congress and just this January was unanimously approved by the Supreme Court as being constitutional, the act says that Attorney General must investigate violations of the act, and if there is a violation, the ag must enforce the civil penalties. Now, Trump, however, has told the Attorney General not to investigate and to further give providers of TikTok a letter stating that they aren't violating the act and aren't liable for any conduct.

Since Congress alone has the power to create the law and the courts interpret the laws, it is clear that this order is a direct refusal to execute lawful orders by Congress. And his letter is a clear misstatement of the law. The President claims that tiktoks popularity combined with a changing geopolitical atmosphere and new information and negotiations with China allow him to halt of enforcement of the act. He says it's no harm that Americans are happy with TikTok, its threat is overstated. And this just maintains the status quo as it was before the act passed. Not to mention it's merely the HIM allowing his ag to exercise prosecutorial discretion. Now, opponents point out that Trump is clearly not enforcing the law and is actually trying to make his own law by relieving companies of liability. They say no president should be able to ignore laws, and that the popularity of TikTok does not matter. A president who picks and chooses on his own whim what laws to enforce is no better than a king. So is it acceptable for Trump to actively avoid enforcing the TikTok? Bill, you decide. I'm Brenton Goodman, and this is you decide, please like and subscribe below.