Sen. Warren Blasts Lieberman for ZTE Lobbying

Prospective 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., blasted ZTE for lobbyist hires she alleged “keep blocking” Congress' ability to ensure the Chinese telecom equipment maker meets the Commerce Department's settlement that lifted a ban on U.S. companies selling telecom software and equipment to ZTE (see 1807130048). Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., later filed the ZTE Enforcement Review and Oversight (Zero) Act to enforce the settlement's terms (see 1809180055). Kasowitz Benson reported in late December ZTE retained ex-Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., now a partner with the firm, to “undertake an independent assessment of concerns that Members of Congress, Executive branch and American businesses have about any national security vulnerabilities and risks that ZTE products may pose." Lieberman and the firm “will then submit a report to ZTE concerning those concerns and appropriate measures that may be taken to resolve/or ameliorate them,” the disclosure said. “Although Lieberman/KBT will not be advocating for ZTE, we have decided to register in the interest of transparency and caution because we will be talking with Members and other covered officials as part of the assessment we are conducting.” American Continental Group and Black Diamond Strategies also reported lobbying Capitol Hill on behalf of ZTE via Hogan Lovells over the Zero Act. ZTE “violated serious U.S. sanctions” on Iran and North Korea, Warren tweeted Wednesday. “Their lobbyists keep blocking accountability. And today [Lieberman] joined them. Should that be legal? No.” There should be “a lifetime ban on Members of Congress working as lobbyists to make sure they only serve the public,” she said. “We need a ban on foreign lobbying so countries like China, Russia and Saudi Arabia have to conduct their foreign policy out in the open. I've proposed both.”