Claims by Amazon Web Services that it lost out on a massive $10 billion cloud computing contract with the Pentagon because of direct interference by former President Trump can go forward, a federal judge said Wednesday, opening the door to a potentially ugly fight and even a possible deposition of the former president.
The decision by a U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge is under seal, meaning the details of the ruling remain a mystery. The court rejected a petition by the Defense Department and Microsoft, the company that won the 10-year “war cloud” contract, to toss out allegations that Mr. Trump drove the award to Microsoft.
Amazon argues that Mr. Trump was motivated by a personal vendetta against Amazon and its founder, Jeff Bezos.
With the decision, the political interference portion of the case will move ahead. Federal courts now could review emails, phone records, and other documentation associated with the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract.
Mr. Trump, former Defense Secretary James Mattis, and other top officials could potentially face depositions — though it remains to be seen whether military leaders and political officials in the Biden administration will move ahead with the case or abandon the project entirely.
The Pentagon previously has warned that a legal victory for Amazon could spell the end of the JEDI contract. For now, however, Amazon is celebrating the decision.
“The record of improper influence by former President Trump is disturbing, and we are pleased the Court will review the remarkable impact it had on the JEDI contract award,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “AWS continues to be the superior technical choice, the less expensive choice, and would provide the best value to the DoD and the American taxpayer. We continue to look forward to the court’s review of the many material flaws in the DoD’s evaluation, and we remain absolutely committed to ensuring that the Department has access to the best technology at the best price.”
Microsoft has said it is fully deserving of the contract and is capable of performing all of the work required. The company has vehemently denied claims that it lost out on JEDI solely because of political interference and maintains that it is the best company for the job.
The JEDI cloud is a key piece of the U.S. military’s 21st-century digital strategy. The contract will cover the storage and processing of huge amounts of classified Pentagon data, and would provide service members with newfound access to information no matter where they’re stationed.