Hawley says he believes TikTok will ultimately be bought: ‘it’s entirely up to Beijing’

By Kit Maher

(CNN) -- Republican Sen. Josh Hawley -- who said he believes the Supreme Court ruled correctly "on the law" with TikTok -- said the problem right now is that China is preventing its sale to a U.S. buyer. 

"I think somebody would buy it if China would sell it. That's the problem. They're preventing its sale. So, but I predict somebody will buy it," Hawley said. "It's entirely up to Beijing. I mean, there are willing buyers."

Hawley said he thinks Trump will probably go for an extension to continue discussions about a sale. 

"We know of a number of who have attempted to have made offers, and so far, it's China. Beijing is saying, no, no. If you need any further evidence that China controls TikTok, just look at what's happening here, where they're saying no, we won't allow it to be sold to stay open the United States. But President Trump, under the law, can delay any implementation for 90 days with a stroke of law permits that I would expect, he'd probably do that in order to facilitate further discussions about a sale," Hawley said. 

Hawley cautioned Americans who view the app as maybe poor for their mental health but harmless otherwise. 

"The issue is that if you've got it on your phone, the Chinese government can track your whereabouts. They can read your text messages. They have access to your contact list. They can read your email. That's the problem. It's a national security concern," Hawley said. 

Hawley said he doesn't care who buys the app, "just not somebody subject to the Chinese government."