T-Mobile US CEO John Legere was in DC this week; it’s not clear where he’s staying
Lobbying groups aligned with Saudi Arabia and Cyprus, the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines, Vietnamese resort developers and executives from T-Mobile US have all been guests at the Trump International DC, a Pennsylvania Avenue hotel owned and operated by President Trump’s company, according to published reports.
T-Mobile US is seeking regulatory approval to move forward on a $26 billion merger with domestic rival Sprint. Although the process has been ongoing, it’s currently at a standstill given the shutdown of the federal government which is impacting operations at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
According to the Washington Post, following the April 2018 announcement of the merger, a number of T-Mo execs–the COO, CTO, CFO, and CEO John Legere–checked into the hotel.
Citing witnesses and hotel documents, the Post’s Jonathan O’Connell and David A. Fahrenthold report: “T-Mobile executives have returned to President Trump’s hotel repeatedly…By mid-June, seven weeks after the announcement of the merger, hotel records indicated that one T-Mobile executive was making his 10th visit to the hotel. Legere appears to have made at least four visits to the Trump hotel, walking the lobby in his T-Mobile gear.”
Based on a review of Legere’s Twitter posts, he has been in DC this week, apparently arriving on Jan. 13. The following day, Legere documented a jog around the nation’s capitol, describing it as “part run and part sightseeing.” Legere didn’t post anything that would indicate where he’s staying while in town.
In a June analysis of political-type groups staying at the Trump International DC, ABC News spoke with Jordan Libowitz of watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Libowitz said, “Since Donald Trump became president, we’ve seen a jump in politicians, political groups and others who could want to influence the administration’s policies spending big money at Trump properties. This raises uncomfortable questions about whether the president is able to be bought. This is why for decades, presidents have divested and placed their assets in blind trusts or the like, so Americans wouldn’t question where their priorities lie.”
FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, tweeting out the Post’s story, commented, “This does not look good.”
