Huawei Files Motion To Toss Out Federal Ban

Huawei, the Chinese telecom company that landed on a blacklist in the U.S., has filed a motion in U.S. court aiming to get it tossed out.

CNET, citing Huawei chief legal officer Dr. Song Liuping, reported the company wants a court to toss out the ban that prevents federal agencies from purchasing Huawei gear. The company wants a judge to rule on the constitutionally of Selection 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), reported CNET.  The government blacklisted the Chinese telecom player — citing a risk to national security — through that bill.

“The fact is, the U.S. government has provided no evidence to show that Huawei is a security threat. There is no gun, no smoke. Only speculation,” said Dr. Song Liuping said during a press conference about the lawsuit on Tuesday (May 28) covered by CNET. “We hope that mistakes in the NDAA can be corrected by the court.” The executive went on to criticize lawmakers in the U.S., saying politicians are using “the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company. This is not normal.”

Earlier this month Huawei landed on the blacklist, which means it can’t do business in the U.S. That is seen as a huge blow to the company and something that even the U.S. government is looking to ease. The U.S. Department of Commerce said recently it may scale back some of the restrictions on the company to prevent any interruptions to existing network operations and equipment. It’s not clear what impact the lawsuit will have.

Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei told Reuters earlier this week that the ban in the U.S. will hurt the lead the company has built over the past two years. The move on the part of Huawei comes as the U.S. and China are embroiled in a bitter trade war with the White House, imposing $200 billion worth of tariffs on products coming from China.