T-Mobile Hired Trump Associate's Lobbying Firm to Advise on Merger

T-Mobile confirmed on Friday that it hired a lobbying firm associated with former Trump campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, to help with its planned $26.5 billion merger with rival Sprint.

T-Mobile US Inc. said it hired Turnberry Solutions last August for its insight "on a variety of topics, including the pending transaction," in a statement to NBC News. The operator has already pushed job creation in the US, as well as global 5G leadership as reasons to approve the merger. (See T-Mobile to Buy Sprint for $26.5B to Create US 5G Powerhouse and Can the 'New' T-Mobile Make America's Networks Great Again?)

Lewandowski is getting paid as part of the operator's contract with Turnberry, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

T-Mobile is not the only US carrier to have recently paid figures in President Trump's orbit. AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) confirmed earlier this month that it paid Trump's former personal attorney $600,000 for "insights" on the new administration. (See AT&T Confirms Payments to Trump Lawyer's Shell Company and AT&T CEO Apologizes for Cohen Kerfuffle.)

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading