Steven Mnuchin says he’s putting together a group to try to buy TikTok [Video]

Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday that he’s exploring assembling a group of investors to purchase TikTok, an attempt to assuage US national security concerns over the Chinese ownership of the popular social-media app.

“I understand the technology,” Mnuchin said during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “It’s a great business, and I’m going to put together a great group to buy TikTok.”

While he declined to provide specific names, Mnuchin said that his group would be organized in a way “so that no one investor controls this.”

Mnuchin, breaking with former President Donald Trump, said he supported a House bill that would force a ban on the popular social-media app. Like his former boss, Mnuchin said that he would not want to see a divestment strengthen the position of TikTok’s competitors.

“I don’t think this should be controlled by any of the big US tech companies. I think there could be big antitrust issues on that,” Mnuchin …