Amazon has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump , Defense Secretary Mark Esper and former Defense Secretary James Mattis over a $10 billion contract they signed with Microsoft to modernize the U.S. Department of Defense's cloud infrastructure .
Amazon is accusing a total of seven people for the final award of the contract to Microsoft. In addition to Trump, Mattis and Esper, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is accusing the head of the Department of Defense's intelligence agency, Dana Deasy, the committee that awarded the contract to Microsoft, as well as the presidents of the SSA.
An AWS spokesperson said: “President Trump has repeatedly demonstrated his willingness to use his position as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to interfere in government operations – including federal procurement – to advance personal agenda.” However, the company raises a very important question: Should the President of the United States be allowed to use the Department of Defense budget to pursue his personal and political goals?
There has been no comment on Amazon's accusations from either the White House and Department or Microsoft.
The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI, cloud computing contract is worth $10 billion. The Pentagon selected Microsoft over Amazon on October 25, 2019. Initially, it seemed like Amazon had a better chance of winning the contract.
In November, Amazon formally challenged (through a court) the Pentagon's decision to award the contract to Microsoft, citing "clear deficiencies, errors, and undisputed bias" against Amazon.
The company claims that Trump launched “under-the-table attacks” against Amazon, which led to it losing the contract. In fact, Mattis, the former Defense Secretary, claimed that Trump told him to take Amazon out of the competition.
AWS accuses Trump of interfering in the bidding process and generally of “attempting to harm Amazon or AWS.”
Much has been heard about Trump's secret conversations regarding this issue. However, only he knows exactly what he did and who he spoke to.
However, Mattis and Esper, who participated in the suspicious procedures, are also facing justice.
It is well known that Jeff Bezos, the chairman of Amazon, is not particularly fond of President Trump. The billionaire businessman owns The Washington Post, a newspaper that Trump regularly criticizes.
Trump has also repeatedly accused Amazon of not paying taxes.
On the other hand, the company is certain that the bidding for the $10 billion contract was not fair. In December, AWS chief Andy Jassy said: “You know there was significant political interference here.
“When you have a President who doesn’t like a company and the CEO of that company, it’s hard for government agencies, including the Department of Justice, to make objective decisions without fear of retaliation. And I think that’s dangerous for our country,” he told CNBC.
