T-Mobile spent $195,000 at Trump Hotel since merger announcement: report
06 Mar 2019
John Legere, chief executive and other officials of T-mobile US Inc have spent a total of $1,95,000 on hotel stays and other expenses at the Trump International Hotel in Washington since the company sought approval for a $26 billion merger with Sprint last April, Reuters reported citing documents released on Tuesday.
T-Mobile officials stays at the hotel owned by President Donald Trump became an issue after photos of Legere, who regularly stays at the hotel, began appearing on social media sites.
The company disclosed the expenses in a letter after Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Pramila Jayapal (both Democrats), sent letters to leaders of the Trump Organization and T-Mobile last month, says the report.
Legere, however, defended his stays at the Trump International Hotel as part of his usual business expenses. He also posted a photo of himself from another prominent Washington hotel.
The company said the $195,000 bill included costs for "meeting space, catering, business centre services, audio/visual equipment rental, lodging, meals, taxes and other incidental expenses."
The Democrats allege that the hotel stays "raise questions about whether T-Mobile is attempting to curry favour with the President, who has not fully divested from his financial interests, via their numerous and expensive stays in the Trump Hotel."
In fact, according to a Washington Post report, T-Mobile executives had reserved at least 52 nights at the hotel since the merger announcement.
The company said the Trump hotel expenses were just 14 per cent of its total spent at Washington area hotels during that period.
"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," Reuters quoted Anthony Russo, T-Mobile USA's vice president for federal legislative affairs, as saying.
The proposal to combine T-mobile and Sprint, the third- and fourth-largest wireless carriers in the United States, is still under review of the Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission.