The Department of Justice clarified the executive order's scope in a response to a lawsuit filed by TikTok employee Patrick Ryan.
That suit accused the Trump administration of violating employees' constitutional rights by prohibiting any transaction with TikTok's parent company ByteDance. Ryan argued that the order could stand in the way of TikTok employees' ability to get paid. But in its response, the DOJ said the Commerce Department will state that the order doesn't apply to employee wages or benefits. That, the DOJ argued, means that Ryan's case is "now moot."
Update: On Tuesday afternoon, a federal judge denied Ryan's request to bar implementation of the executive order.