Two lobbying firms terminated operations with Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei Technologies, reports Politico:
Former Rep. Michael Oxley’s (R-Ohio) firm, Baker Hostetler, and Strategic Federal Affairs have both filed lobbying terminations with the Senate, according to filings.
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence launched an investigation on Huawei and ZTE Corp. for threatening U.S. national security in October. The committee found that the U.S. government is at risk of "cyber espionage or data theft."
Rep. Frank Wolf (R., Va.) revealed in July that Huawei and ZTE violated Iran sanctions by illegally exporting "embargoed U.S. technology to Iran, including a surveillance systems that monitors land line, mobile, and Internet communications."
According to Politico, other lobbying firms may follow suit and end ties with the Chinese company.
Two other contract firms —Canyon Snow Consulting and Fleishman-Hillard — for the company haven’t filed termination papers, though they have reported no lobbying activity on behalf of the group in 2012.
Amerilink Telecom, an American company partnered with Huawei, paid $110,000 to Glover Park Group in 2010. The Washington Free Beacon can confirm that Amerilink retained the former White House correspondent for the Associated Press, Jennifer Loven. After a Politico article highlighting the contract, a lobbying report was filed that indicated the contract had been terminated.
Microsoft partnered with Huawei to build phones for its new Windows Phone 8 software. Despite the partnership, Microsoft kept Huawei away from the launch of its phone in October 2012.