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Quixote1818

(28,903 posts)
Fri Feb 14, 2020, 12:06 AM Feb 2020

Where others failed, now Amazon is taking up the case against the president

Feb. 12, 2020 at 6:00 am Updated Feb. 12, 2020 at 3:59 pm

By Danny Westneat
Seattle Times columnist
First to have a crack at it was Robert Mueller. Next up was Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats, who took a mighty swing but also whiffed.

Could the one to finally strike a blow be … Amazon?

The filings this week in an obscure federal contracting court by our Seattle tech bad boys made some headlines, mostly because Jeff Bezos and company are brazenly seeking to depose the baddest boy of all, Donald Trump.

But “Amazon Web Services v. United States of America” seems to me to have the potential to develop into a full-blown political scandal. The motions made Monday show that our little Seattle online bookstore has decided to throw standard business and lobbying caution to the wind by joining into an all-out, and overtly political, war with the U.S. president.

At issue is a $10 billion Defense Department contract to transition the military into cloud computing. These are typically boring but important public bid fights, in which both companies and the government must follow arcane procurement rules on complex proposals that can run to tens of thousands of pages.

Long story shorter: Amazon thought it had won the big contract, but then lost it to Microsoft last fall after a seemingly abrupt turnaround. That’s where all hell breaks loose.

“This is not an ordinary bid protest,” the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington declared in a follow-up court filing on Tuesday. “Plaintiff Amazon … alleges not only that the U.S. Department of Defense inaccurately evaluated the technical aspects of its proposal for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (“JEDI”) contract—but also that DoD did so because President Donald J. Trump engaged in a ‘blatant and sustained effort to direct the outcome’ in order to ‘pursue his own personal and political ends.’ “

More: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/where-others-failed-now-amazon-is-taking-up-the-case-against-the-president/

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Where others failed, now Amazon is taking up the case against the president (Original Post) Quixote1818 Feb 2020 OP
So having served on many SEBs lapfog_1 Feb 2020 #1
Well, if it turns out he invested heavily in Microsoft, and we win come November ... mr_lebowski Feb 2020 #5
Go get 'em, Chump Change Donnie Stinky The Clown Feb 2020 #2
All of them, given time. dchill Feb 2020 #9
Microsoft have been told to stop working on the project for now... HipChick Feb 2020 #3
Wow. Immensely interesting. The list of impeachable Laura PourMeADrink Feb 2020 #4
So much putrid Trumpster infestation, so few fumigators!!!! n/t MFGsunny Feb 2020 #6
I have no comment on this. Stonepounder Feb 2020 #7
Well now, that is interesting Hekate Feb 2020 #8
Wouldn't it be better if they split the deal and co-operated? nt greyl Feb 2020 #10
Maube, but Trump will never agree to let a Bezos owned company get money csziggy Feb 2020 #13
I guess it finally sunk in,,,,, Cryptoad Feb 2020 #11
Get his ass! 🤞🤞🤞🤞 live love laugh Feb 2020 #12

lapfog_1

(29,166 posts)
1. So having served on many SEBs
Fri Feb 14, 2020, 12:13 AM
Feb 2020

in my time in federal government service... I'd say the case is likely to have merit, but I would need to see the RFP and the technical and financial evaluations...

Don't expect this to go to the point where the President has to testify or something.

Probably the most that would happen is a change in the contract award or potentially a re-compete.

 

mr_lebowski

(33,643 posts)
5. Well, if it turns out he invested heavily in Microsoft, and we win come November ...
Fri Feb 14, 2020, 12:37 AM
Feb 2020

I think the new AG (hopefully Kamala!) might just want to have a word ...

HipChick

(25,485 posts)
3. Microsoft have been told to stop working on the project for now...
Fri Feb 14, 2020, 12:16 AM
Feb 2020

so this appeal might have some legs after all..

 

Laura PourMeADrink

(42,770 posts)
4. Wow. Immensely interesting. The list of impeachable
Fri Feb 14, 2020, 12:35 AM
Feb 2020

offenses is a mile long and growing!!!! Guess we'll just have to hope the courts don't get tainted, oh wait, he's doing that too.

Wish some brave souls like Steve Cohen D-TN and Al Green, would take their brilliant November 15, 2017 Articles of Impeachment, and go to work adding ALL. Get it in the history books.

BTW...did not know these investigations were underway:

His administration is currently under investigation because he allegedly rigged a $400 million contract for the border wall, and also separately for blocking the move of the FBI headquarters, which is currently across the street from one of Trump’s hotels

csziggy

(34,119 posts)
13. Maube, but Trump will never agree to let a Bezos owned company get money
Fri Feb 14, 2020, 09:43 PM
Feb 2020

Whether it is his or his government's.

Cryptoad

(8,254 posts)
11. I guess it finally sunk in,,,,,
Fri Feb 14, 2020, 03:05 AM
Feb 2020

way things are going it not too long before Amazon will have to pay protection $$$ to the Don....

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