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U.S. NEWS Friday 14 February 2020

In win for Amazon, judge freezes work on Pentagon contract

By JOSEPH PISANI, RACHEL and fighting capabilities. typically halt work on con-
LERMAN and MATT O'BRIEN Pentagon officials have tracts when they see some
AP Business Writers said the work would be im- merit in the case.
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal portant to advancing the Earlier this week, Amazon
judge on Thursday ordered U.S. military's technological asked to question Trump
a temporary halt of Micro- advantage over adversar- for its case. In July, Trump
soft's work on a $10 billion ies. Pentagon spokesman publicly stated that other
military cloud contract, Lt. Col. Robert Carver said companies told him the
a win for Amazon, which in a statement that the de- contract "wasn't competi-
sued the U.S. government partment was disappointed tively bid," and he said the
last year for awarding the in the ruling that delayed administration would "take
contract to its rival. changes "and deprived a very long look" at it. Ama-
Amazon's lawsuit, filed in our warfighters of a set of zon CEO Jeff Bezos has long
November, alleged that capabilities they urgently been a target of Trump; the This March 27, 2008, aerial file photo, shows the Pentagon in
President Donald Trump's need." But he said the Pen- president calls the Bezos- Washington.
bias against the company tagon remained sure of its owned Washington Post Associated Press
hurt its chances to win the decision to choose Micro- "fake news" whenever it with Ukraine. Two govern- tract professionals did their
project. Amazon and Mi- soft. publishes unfavorable sto- ment watchdog groups, jobs properly regardless of
crosoft were finalists for Microsoft echoed the dis- ries about him. Protect Democracy and Trump's tweets, said Ama-
the lucrative contract, for appointment in a state- In arguments making a Citizens for Responsibility zon "impugns, demeans
which Amazon was consid- ment Thursday, but said it case for Trump's deposi- and Ethics in Washington, and discredits government
ered an early front-runner. believes that it will ultimate- tion, Amazon sought to fit filed legal briefs in the case personnel at all levels, de-
The project, known as Joint ly be allowed to move for- Trump's actions on the JEDI this week supporting the spite the utter absence of
Enterprise Defense Infra- ward with the project. Am- contract into a broader call for depositions of Trump any support for their accu-
structure, or JEDI, will store azon did not immediately pattern of interference. and other officials. sations."
and process vast amounts respond to a request for That included the presi- Microsoft opposed Ama- Amazon asked the court
of classified data. It's in- comment. dent's role in a border wall zon's request for depositions to halt work on the project
tended to improve the Charles Tiefer, a govern- contract, his push to block in a court filing this week, last month. Both the docu-
Pentagon's communica- ment contracting law pro- AT&T's acquisition of CNN arguing that Amazon "is ments requesting the work
tions with soldiers on the fessor at the University of parent company Time War- grasping at straws to find stoppage and the judge's
battlefield and would use Baltimore, called the order ner and his impeachment support for its baseless al- decision Thursday to issue
artificial intelligence to to stop work on the project by the House of Represen- legations." Microsoft, argu- the temporary injunction
speed up its war planning "striking," noting that judges tatives over his dealings ing that government con- are sealed by the court.q