REP LIEU STATEMENT ON TRUMP'S NEGOTIATIONS WITH CHINA AND TELECOM COMPANY ZTE

WASHINGTON- Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) issued the following statement after President Trump announced that the U.S. would consider giving ZTE, a Chinese telecommunications company, "a way to get back into business, fast", after the U.S. penalized the company for making illegal shipments to Iran and North Korea.

"By promising to help Chinese tech company ZTE, the President isn't just prioritizing Chinese jobs over the U.S.'s wellbeing, he's jeopardizing our national security. His own Department of Defense banned the sale of ZTE phones on military bases two weeks ago because these phones can be used for cyberespionage. The President is once again bucking the advice of his own Director of National Intelligence, as well has numerous Republican Members of Congress.

The White House hasn't presented a good reason why Trump made this deal even though there's a bipartisan chorus opposing ZTE's reach in the U.S. The President needs to explain to Congress why he's defending a company that his own Commerce Department penalized--to the tune of $1.19 billion--for illegally exporting technology to Iran and North Korea. This deal looks an awful lot like the President is placing a higher premium on Chinese jobs than U.S. national security. The question is: why? "

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