In April, as the new deadline approached, seemed to be taking shape that would have handed a majority stake to a consortium of U.S. companies, allowing them to license TikTok's algorithm. But after Trump slapped sky-high tariffs on China and fired National Security Council officials, one of whom was involved in the TikTok deal. He granted the company another 75-day reprieve, with an end date on June 19. In an email to NPR, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu reiterated Beijing's pledge to handle "relevant matters" according to Chinese laws and regulations. "The U.S. side should provide an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment for the companies concerned operating in the United States," Liu said. Some legal experts say Trump's delays run afoul of the law banning TikTok, which allows for a single 90-day extension but only if certain conditions are met, like certifying to Congress that a divestiture from ByteDance is in motion. Speaking before the latest promise of an extension, Ryan Calo, a professor at the University of Washington law school who follows tech, says Trump has operated outside the statutory framework so far. "This president is not operating within Congress's intent," he said. "It sets a bad precedent, wherein the president feels like he can simply ignore a congressional statute." Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued a statement accusing the Trump administration of "flouting the law and ignoring its own national security findings" about the risks posed by a Chinese-controlled TikTok. "An executive order can't sidestep the law, but that's exactly what the president is trying to do." The White House did not return a request for comment on the legal grounds for these extensions. For his part, Trump contends that he is operating within the bounds of the law. Asked on Tuesday if he had the legal basis to extend the reprieve, Trump told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One: "Yeah, sure. Yeah, we do." , U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday extended to September 17 a deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the U.S. assets of short-video app TikTok despite a law that mandated a sale or , President Trump intends to again extend the deadline for when TikTok must be separated from its Chinese owner, ByteDance, or face a ban in the United States, its third reprieve this year..