T-Mobile: Ex-Trump aide Corey Lewandowski tied to firm advising on Sprint merger
FBN’s Charlie Gasparino on whether T-Mobile will be able to successfully merge with Sprint.
T-Mobile said Corey Lewandowski, President Donald Trump’s one-time campaign manager, is part of a team advising the company as it seeks federal approval for its merger with Sprint.
Lewandowski is one of the former Trump aides with ties to Turnberry Solutions, a lobbying firm that T-Mobile hired last year to advise the wireless carrier on the Sprint merger and other matters.
In a statement, T-Mobile said it hired Turnberry Solutions in August, adding that Lewandowski “is now affiliated with that firm and they have offered perspective to T-Mobile on a variety of topics” such as the pending deal with Sprint.
Talks between T-Mobile and Sprint reportedly rekindled in early August, according to a Bloomberg report at the time.
“Given the scope and complexity of our business, our Government Affairs team works with a number of political consulting firms to help navigate the numerous federal government and regulatory matters that are relevant to us,” T-Mobile said.
T-Mobile, which agreed last month to buy Sprint in a $26 billion deal, has paid Turnberry Solutions about $100,000 since hiring the firm, according to OpenSecrets.org.
Lewandowski is being paid for his role in advising the company, The Wall Street Journal reported. But the report said his exact role with Turnberry Solutions remains unclear. Jason Osborne, a lobbyist for the firm, told the Journal that Lewandowski isn’t compensated by Turnberry Solutions but provides it with strategic advice.
Lewandowski, who has worked as a political consultant since departing the Trump campaign, recently joined Vice President Mike Pence’s political action committee.
T-Mobile and Sprint must receive approval from federal regulators in order to complete their merger of the third- and fourth-largest U.S. mobile companies. The Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission are conducting separate reviews. When the deal was announced, one analyst gave the merger 50-50 odds of receiving the government’s go-ahead.
Under President Barack Obama, the Justice Department scuttled the companies’ attempt to merge in 2014, citing concerns that a deal would limit competition and hurt consumers.