London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Amazon claims Trump interfered with Pentagon contract in order to hurt Jeff Bezos

Amazon claims Trump interfered with Pentagon contract in order to hurt Jeff Bezos

Amazon alleged on Monday that President Donald Trump abused his position to apply "improper pressure" on Pentagon decision-makers to stop the company from winning a military contract worth billions of dollars.
In a formal protest unsealed at the US Court of Federal Claims, Amazon (AMZN) said Trump "launched repeated public and behind-the-scenes attacks" against the company in an effort to undermine its bid and hurt CEO Jeff Bezos, "his perceived political enemy" because of his ownership of The Washington Post.

The complaint calls for the Defense Department to revisit its decision to award the contract to Microsoft (MSFT). Hanging in the balance is a Pentagon procurement effort for cloud computing valued at $10 billion over 10 years.

"The stakes are high," Amazon said. "The question is whether the President of the United States should be allowed to use the budget of DoD to pursue his own personal and political ends." The White House declined to comment.

In a statement, the Defense Department said it would not be commenting on specific claims in Amazon's filing concerning the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI, cloud computing contract.

"This source selection decision was made by an expert team of career public servants and military officers from across the Department of Defense and in accordance with DoD's normal source-selection process," said Pentagon spokesperson Elissa Smith. "There were no external influences on the source selection decision. The department is confident in the JEDI award and remains focused on getting this critical capability into the hands of our warfighters as quickly and efficiently as possible."

Amazon's filing comes as House lawmakers prepare articles of impeachment over Trump's potential abuse of power for allegedly pressuring Ukraine's president to investigate his political rival Joe Biden and Biden's son, Hunter.

Amazon's complaint against Trump over the JEDI cloud computing contract zeroes in on the process of government contracting. The procurement process typically takes place under strict guidelines and outside the direction of political leaders.

The company, a leader in the cloud computing market with its Amazon Web Services unit, was long viewed as the front runner for the contract. Amazon now alleges the Defense Department made "inexplicable" errors in selecting Microsoft as the winner.

In a statement, Microsoft said it had "confidence" in the Defense Department staff who conducted the review. "We believe the facts will show they ran a detailed, thorough and fair process in determining the needs of the warfighter were best met by Microsoft," the company said.

According to the Amazon's filing, however, Pentagon officials reviewed an outdated version of Amazon's bid, ignored certain aspects of Amazon's capabilities and applied different levels of scrutiny to Amazon that Microsoft did not receive.

That treatment, Amazon claims, is a direct result of Trump's intervention. Amazon cited Trump's tweets, news articles about JEDI and a book about then-Defense Secretary James Mattis that claims Trump said he wanted Mattis to "screw Amazon" over the contract.

Trump has repeatedly gone after Bezos for his ownership of The Washington Post and the publication's coverage of him. While campaigning for office, Trump promised Amazon would have "such problems" if he became president. He has also complained that Amazon pays the US Postal Service a heavily subsidized rate for shipping its packages.

Prior to Microsoft winning the JEDI deal in October, Trump publicly vowed to take a "strong look" at the contract in response to complaints about the process from numerous businesses, including IBM (IBM), Microsoft and Oracle (ORCL).

CNN reported in July that Oracle was behind a campaign to undercut Amazon. The effort included a document that alleged a vast government conspiracy to help Amazon win the JEDI contract -a document that was presented to Trump earlier this summer.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Challenge Trump's Leadership
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Germany Holds First Veterans Celebration Since WWII
U.S. Health Secretary Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×