NEW YORK, March 14 — Former US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is putting together an investor group to try to buy TikTok, he told CNBC today.

His comment comes just a day after the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would give the short-video app’s Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to divest the US assets or face a ban.

TikTok had called the bill a "ban” and urged senators to listen to their constituents before taking any action.

"I think the legislation should pass and I think it should be sold,” Mnuchin told CNBC’s "Squawk Box” today. "It’s a great business and I’m going to put together a group to buy TikTok,” he said.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said yesterday that the company will exercise its legal rights to prevent a ban. — Reuters