Perhaps you have missed some facts. ZTE repeatedly (> 100 times) violated the terms of a court ordered probation, intentionally gave misleading information, des

Perhaps you have missed some facts. ZTE repeatedly (> 100 times) violated the terms of a court ordered probation, intentionally gave misleading information, despite being levied a > 1B fine (the original reason for sanctions: sending some US-origin items to Iran, obstructing justice, and making a material false statement). The Government decided to go this route after they realised that the sanctions route did not lead to the right behaviour. This would have been pretty uncontroversial under any other President. Read this for more detail on ZTE's malfeasance: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/zte-corporation-agrees-plead-guilty-and-pay-over-4304-million-violating-us-sanctions-sending https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/zte-corporation-agrees-plead-...