ACLU says US House bill that could ban TikTok is unconstitutional

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union said a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would force Chinese-based ByteDance to divest short video app TikTok or face a U.S. ban is unconstitutional.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is set to vote on the bipartisan proposal on Thursday that its sponsors say is motivated by national security concerns.

"We're deeply disappointed that our leaders are once again attempting to trade our First Amendment rights for cheap political points during an election year," said Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the ACLU.

The group cited a November ruling from a U.S. judge that blocked Montana's state ban on free speech grounds.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sandra Maler)