T-Mobile Acknowledges Spending $195,000 at Trump Hotel Since Inking Sprint Buy
T-Mobile acknowledged to lawmakers it spent $195,000 at the Trump International Hotel in Washington since announcing its proposed buy of Sprint in April 2018 (see 1903050071). T-Mobile's Trump hotel spending during that period is “approximately 14 percent of the…
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$1.4 million T-Mobile incurred at hotels in Washington, DC during the same period for travel and other business-related activities,” said Vice President-Federal Legislative Affairs Anthony Russo in a letter to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Mass., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Wash. The Democratic lawmakers wrote T-Mobile seeking such information. T-Mobile spent $750,000 at area Hilton hotels during the period, Russo said. He acknowledged T-Mobile CEO John Legere and other executives stayed at the Trump hotel only once before announcing the Sprint deal, and 52 times since. Legere separately acknowledged also staying at Trump properties in Chicago and New York. “T-Mobile respects the regulatory review process underway concerning our pending merger,” Russo wrote. The FCC and DOJ “are giving this transaction a thorough and objective analysis. While we understand that staying at Trump properties might be viewed positively by some and negatively by others, we are confident that the relevant agencies address the questions before them on the merits.” Americans "deserve better than an administration that appears to be for sale to businesses eager to line the president's pockets,” Warren and Jayapal said. The disclosure could give House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee member Jayapal and other subcommittee members fodder for questions at the subpanel's upcoming hearing on T-Mobile/Sprint, lobbyists said. The House Judiciary Committee plans to formally announce the hearing for March 12, about a month after it was originally scheduled (see 1902120056), a committee spokesperson said. Jayapal was among three dozen House Democrats who signed onto a letter sent Tuesday by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and DOJ Antitrust Division head Makan Delrahim in opposition to T-Mobile/Sprint (see 1902050050).