Did T-Mobile try to influence Trump’s view of the Sprint merger by staying at his DC hotel?

The day after T-Mobile announced a $26 billion merger deal with Sprint, top T-Mobile executives checked into the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC and have repeatedly returned since then. Guests include T-Mobile CEO John Legere, T-Mobile’s chief operating officer, chief technology officer, chief strategy officer, and chief financial officer. The Washington Post obtained a list of VIP arrivals at the Trump International Hotel, which shows 38 nights of hotel stays by T-Mobile executives. The actual number may be much higher, as the list only covered a small period of time.

The visits raise concerns that T-Mobile aims to influence public policy by patronizing Trump’s businesses. “I can’t believe this is a coincidence,” said Gene Kimmelman, former chief counsel for the antitrust division at the Justice Department and current president of Public Knowledge. “In mergers, companies look for any potential advantage they can find.”

Earlier this month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) suspended its review of the merger due to the partial federal government shutdown. CWA opposes the merger as currently structured because it would result in 30,000 job cuts and price increases of more than 15 percent.

Links:

T-Mobile announced a merger needing Trump administration approval. The next day, 9 executives had reservations at Trump’s hotel (Washington Post, Jan. 16, 2019)

Government shutdown suspends Washington’s review of Sprint/T-Mobile merger (Kansas City Star, Jan. 2, 2019)

T-Mobile Sprint Facts (CWA, Dec. 2018)