The Cybersecurity 202: Huawei Gets Its Day in Court
Last year, Congress banned Chinese technology company Huawei's products in the U.S. and the Commerce Department banned U.S. companies from selling parts to the company, claiming the company poses a national security threat. In court this week, Huawei attorneys are expected to argue that Congress unfairly singled them out. Huawei wants to send the message that they are victims who pose no security risk, rather they are being used by the Trump administration as leverage in trade negotiations. This argument has been supported by President Trump's repeated Tweets implying that he would dismiss some of these restrictions in exchange for concessions in the U.S.-China trade dispute.
"If I was Huawei’s attorney, I’d be pushing hard on that, saying this is not a security thing, it’s a trade thing," said Government Contracts Attorney Eric Crusius.
This argument, however, may not be as effective with the judge in the case, Judge Amos L. Mazzant III. Crusius noted, "I wouldn’t be surprised if the judge knows the president is kind of a free agent when it comes to Twitter and gives the Justice Department some slack with respect to that."