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An hour behind schedule, the House Judiciary hearing on Sprint/T-Mobile is finally getting underway.
Rep. Cicilline pauses his critique of the Sprint/T-Mobile mergers to slam Trump's "shameless" efforts to sway the AT&T/Time Warner merger review.
We're nearly an hour into this delayed hearing and still not nearly done with witness opening statements. Help
First question from Rep. Johnson is about T-Mobile's Trump hotel stays. Legere acknowledges the stays.
Legere: "If I may add, I made the decision. I'm a longtime Trump hotel stayer, way before this transaction."
Legere: "If I may add, I made the decision. I'm a longtime Trump hotel stayer, way before this transaction."
Johnson is slowly and calmly tearing into Legere, asking him if he's considered the optics of staying at the Trump hotel.
"Do you understand the optics of that, what it looks like? It looks like what’s happening is T-Mobile is trying to curry favor with the White House."
"Do you understand the optics of that, what it looks like? It looks like what’s happening is T-Mobile is trying to curry favor with the White House."
More Johnson: "It doesn't pass the smell test with the American public. It looks like you're trying to purchase influence."
Legere says he's sure the deal will be judged on its merits, and adds: "The optics of me staying at the Trump hotel haven't changed for 10 years."
Legere says he's sure the deal will be judged on its merits, and adds: "The optics of me staying at the Trump hotel haven't changed for 10 years."
There was a short back-and-forth about how long the Trump hotel in DC has been around, but it appears the two men were simultaneously talking about Legere's relationship to Trump properties in general.
Rep. Jayapal is up. She's been critical of Legere's hotel stays.
Jayapal: "There is reason to look at this question of what happened at the Trump hotels because it has been clear from quite a bit of reporting that … Trump appears to have involved himself in the AT&T/Time Warner merger, and we want to make sure that is not happening today."
Legere says T-Mobile spent $194,000 out of $1.7 million in hotel spends after the merger was announced.
Jayapal brings up an old tweet from Legere in which he pledged never to stay at a Trump property again.
Later, Legere said the decision to stay at Trump hotel in DC was his decision.
Jayapal responds: Except in 2015 you said you were never going to stay at a Trump hotel again.
Later, Legere said the decision to stay at Trump hotel in DC was his decision.
Jayapal responds: Except in 2015 you said you were never going to stay at a Trump hotel again.
Jayapal: "If you do want this to be judged on the merits, we would expect there would be concern around anything that might shed a light of impropriety on the merits of the merger."
Rep. Gaetz then mocks Jayapal's questioning for being non-substantive.
"I have said I would never stay in a La Quinta again, and I have stayed at a La Quinta subsequently," he jokes.
"I have said I would never stay in a La Quinta again, and I have stayed at a La Quinta subsequently," he jokes.
Conversation quickly turns to another hot topic: Huawei. After mentioning Huawei's alleged theft of T-Mobile's testing robot, Tappy (which is the subj. of a federal lawsuit) Legere says, "We're very pleased with what the government is doing to ensure the safety around Huawei."
About 25 percent of the Rural Wireless Association's members use Huawei gear, according to witness Carri Bennet.
.@gigibsohn slams T-Mobile's arguments about the merger enabling new network capacity, using a historical analogy. "Carnegie owned all the railroads," Sohn says. "He owned all the capacity, but he was still a monopolist. Capacity is meaningless when it comes to setting prices."
Sorry for the radio silence after that moment — I ducked out so I could file a story on this, which you can now read here: washingtonpost.com/technology/201…
