BUSINESS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “A day after telecom giant T-Mobile announced a $26 billion merger with rival Sprint, nine of T-Mobile’s top executives — including its CEO, John Legere — checked into President Donald Trump’s Washington hotel, according to internal VIP arrivals lists obtained by The Washington Post. The merger between the third and fourth largest wireless service providers in the nation was announced in April and the deal needed approval from the Trump administration. The nine executives were scheduled to stay between one and three days, and have returned to the hotel repeatedly since then, The Post reported on Wednesday [1-16-19], citing eyewitnesses and hotel documents. Their visits highlight how countries, interest groups and companies impacted by the Trump administration’s choices have patronized the President’s private business, the newspaper noted. The Post reported that the internal VIP arrivals list showed 38 nights of hotel stays in 2018 by the T-Mobile executives, but noted that the number could be higher because of incomplete data.”
–Veronica Stracqualursi, “Washington Post: T-Mobile executives stayed at Trump’s DC hotel after announcing merger needing administration’s approval,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, January 16, 2019 4:53 pm