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Republicans Government The Courts United States

Republicans Call For Amazon To Testify On Pentagon Relationship (theverge.com) 40

Posted by BeauHD from the improperly-influencing-lawmakers dept.
Republicans are questioning Amazon's relationship with the Pentagon after newly released emails show that defense officials praised tech executives vying for a $10 billion contract during the Trump administration. The Verge reports: On Tuesday, The New York Times reported on previously unreleased emails that show Pentagon officials applauding Amazon executives while the company sought out a lucrative defense contract between 2017 and 2018. The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure project, or JEDI, set out to find a tech company that would move the Defense Department's computer networks over to the cloud. In one instance, the Times reports that former Trump Defense Secretary Jim Mattis traveled to Silicon Valley to meet with executives from companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google in 2017. During this trip, Mattis was made "uncomfortable" while Amazon representatives aggressively pitched their cloud-computing products to him. A former Mattis adviser, Sally Donnelly, also referred to Bezos as "the genius of our age." Donnelly, who later sent Mattis a list of reasons he should meet with Bezos, had previously worked at a consulting firm where her clients included Amazon.

"This is exactly what we were concerned about, and it contradicts Amazon's insistence that there is nothing to see here," Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said in a joint statement Tuesday. "It's become more and more clear that Amazon used its market power and paid-for connections to circumvent ethical boundaries and avoid competition in an attempt to win this contract." Microsoft won the multibillion-dollar contract in 2019 after a closely watched bidding fight between Amazon. But earlier this month, the Defense Department announced that it would cancel its contract amid an ongoing legal battle alleging that Trump wrongfully interfered in the bidding process. In canceling the prior contract, Amazon is given a second chance to win the $10 billion deal. But Republicans in Washington are calling for the company to testify regarding its Pentagon relationships in light of the newly released emails.
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Republicans Call For Amazon To Testify On Pentagon Relationship More

Republicans Call For Amazon To Testify On Pentagon Relationship

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  • Irony is dead (Score:5, Insightful)

    by inode_buddha ( 576844 ) on Tuesday July 13, 2021 @07:54PM (#61580057) Journal

    I mean, I'm not condoning any part of Amazon. But holy shit, do these legislators ever look in the mirror? *EVERY* company that has lobbyists in DC is doing the *exact same stuff* and for Republicans to all of a sudden discover the concept of "ethics" is just a bit too much. Particularly considering the insider trading that congressmen regularly engage in.

    • In this business of revenge (Score:5, Insightful)

      by bug_hunter ( 32923 ) on Tuesday July 13, 2021 @08:10PM (#61580101)

      Don't forget
      "This time, we won’t look the other way on Coca-Cola’s $12 billion in back taxes owed. This time, when Major League Baseball lobbies to preserve its multibillion-dollar antitrust exception, we’ll say no thank you. This time, when Boeing asks for billions in corporate welfare, we’ll simply let the Export-Import Bank expire." - Ted Cruz

      And I don't think it's equivilent in volume but
      A Democratic congressman from California has said that the Catholic church should have their tax-free status revoked if they decide President Joe Biden should not be able to take Communion.

      The fun thing is, these are all good ideas, call in the $12 billion dollars of taxes owed, tax churches that are setup as businesses.
      But frikken do it because it's in the best public interest, not as in retalitory measures.

      • Ted Cruz is currently running Facebook ads with a video where he talks about how he's done taking payouts from companies he's cancelling. So what he's admitting is that he has taken financial payouts from them in the past and that there are others he's not cancelling and will continue to accept money from. He says he'll stop taking money from "woke PACs".

        • Ted Cruz is currently running Facebook ads with a video where he talks about how he's done taking payouts from companies he's cancelling. So what he's admitting is that he has taken financial payouts from them in the past and that there are others he's not cancelling and will continue to accept money from.

          He is obviously saying that.

          I'd say that Ted Cruz is probably one of the most honest and open politicians we have.

          You can think he is hypocritical, evil, mean, or whatever you want, but that doesn't change the above.

        • He says he'll stop taking money from "woke PACs".

          Find a "woke" PAC that would even consider contributing to Cruz and I'll eat my hat, lol.

          Contributing to Cruz smacks of somnambulance.

      • And I don't think it's equivilent in volume but
        A Democratic congressman from California has said that the Catholic church should have their tax-free status revoked if they decide President Joe Biden should not be able to take Communion.

        Remember the whole idea is supposed to be separation of church and state, the state doesn't tax the churches and the churches stay out of politics.

        I don't know how you practically enforce that, but the Catholic bishops driving that policy (who don't seem to reflect the views of their congregants or the global church) are definitely inserting themselves deeply into the political debate.

    • Re:Irony is dead (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Freischutz ( 4776131 ) on Tuesday July 13, 2021 @08:16PM (#61580121)

      I mean, I'm not condoning any part of Amazon. But holy shit, do these legislators ever look in the mirror? *EVERY* company that has lobbyists in DC is doing the *exact same stuff* and for Republicans to all of a sudden discover the concept of "ethics" is just a bit too much. Particularly considering the insider trading that congressmen regularly engage in.

      For a bunch of people like Congressional Republicans who think they and their constituents are the only ones entitled to vote, it takes no great amount of mental gymnastics to expect everybody else to abide by rules of 'ethics' they themselves feel no great need to abide by.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by jythie ( 914043 )
        Well, that is the core of the religious right and the 'lawn and order' camps. Laws are things intended to protect the natural order, tools of the strong or at least the ones who are supposed to be strong. They struggle with the idea of laws applying to them because they literally do not think of rules and laws as working that way. It is also why the right loves scammers and rapists and DVers so much, if you commit these crimes, are in the demographic that is supposed to be on top, and get away with it, t

    • Re:Irony is dead (Score:5, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 13, 2021 @08:33PM (#61580151)

      "It's become more and more clear that Amazon used its market power and paid-for connections to circumvent ethical boundaries and avoid competition in an attempt to win this contract."

      ... for Republicans to all of a sudden discover the concept of "ethics" is just a bit too much.

      Particularly when Republicans looked the other way during Trump's presidency where we saw multiple ethics violations and violations of the Hatch Act.

      The Trump Administration Says It Has Violated Its Own Ethics Pledge [propublica.org]

      Trump aides 'take pride' in violating ethics laws because it upsets the media at no cost to them, reports say [businessinsider.com]

      Trump Shatters Ethics Norms By Making Official Acts Part Of GOP Convention [npr.org]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by fermion ( 181285 )
      They have to protect Trump and the military. Amazon won a contract. Any malfeasance is in the military. I think they should have partitioned it amount all qualified bids.but you can get more free dinners and resort stays if there is a winner take all. We have seen this a lot, and republicans need to police themselves, not free enterprise. Giving their contract to rebuild Puerto RIco to a high ranking officials buddy who has a tiny company with no resources. Given a large contract to deliver masks to small
      • While you're right, and the examples you give are particularly bad cases of corruption, there was much fishiness about this contract and I think it ought to be investigated properly.
        This article [theintercept.com] does not really have the smoking gun it seems to claim it does, but it does raise a bunch of questions that ought to be answered in my view.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by laird ( 2705 )

      The article doesn't have any examples of Amazon acting improperly. Some people at the Pentagon admire Amazon? Amazon reps promoted Amazon? Are they saying that they couldn't fine anyone at the Pentagon who admired IBM or any of the other companies bidding on JEDI, and that nobody at any other company pitched their company's products? And the article left out Trump's aggressive politicization of the deal to punish Bezos, who he viewed as a political threat? It's not like it wasn't reported, e.g. https://www. [nytimes.com]

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by jythie ( 914043 )
        Ah, but it isn't corruption if you admire someone or something that deserves admiration, so thinking well of the companies that they think well of is fine, but if you say nice things about companies they do not like it means you are bais. It is all about the natural order and one true wayism.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by laird ( 2705 )

          Don't make things up. There's no accusation in the article that the people who said that they admired Amazon did so deceitfully - the claim, weak as it is, is that the process was biased because someone unnamed in the Pentagon said they admired Amazon. And yet they ignored the President repeatedly attacking Amazon because he perceived the Washington Post, which Bezos also invested in, as a political threat. And even more corrupt - he straight out told the Pentagon that he wanted the JEDI contract to go to s

    • Re:Irony is dead (Score:5, Insightful)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 ) <slashdot&worf,net> on Wednesday July 14, 2021 @03:33AM (#61580835)

      I mean, I'm not condoning any part of Amazon. But holy shit, do these legislators ever look in the mirror? *EVERY* company that has lobbyists in DC is doing the *exact same stuff* and for Republicans to all of a sudden discover the concept of "ethics" is just a bit too much. Particularly considering the insider trading that congressmen regularly engage in.

      Except His Righteous and Honorable True Leader of the United States President Donald J. trump hates the Washington Post. And thus Jeff Bezos. And Amazon. As Honorable Leader and President Trump is still in charge of the United States, and thus the Republican Party, Amazon must be held to account.

      Honestly, that's the only reason. The Republicans truly believe The Great Lie that Trump won the election and Trump is still leader of the Republican party. Bezos is still public enemy #1 and thus every legal avenue must be taken to kill Amazon.

      It's not about ethics, or honesty or anything else. It's just that the leader of the Republican party dislikes Bezos.

      So as much as Amazon should be held to account, it's really just one man's vendetta and his ability to brainwash others into believing he was wronged and to enact revenge.

      • Not usually a critic, but it's way too damn early to be that drunk on the TDS sauce.

        You act as if the concept of mega-corps abusing and engaging on monopolistic behavior, hasn't been on the docket of every political party in recent times. There's more than one reason to want to "kill" a capitalist behemoth like Amazon. Trump isn't even the main reason, and neither is some who-gives-a-shit newspaper.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Nugoo ( 1794744 )

          There's more than one reason to want to "kill" a capitalist behemoth like Amazon. Trump isn't even the main reason, and neither is some who-gives-a-shit newspaper.

          You're right, of course, that there are many reasons to try and kill Amazon. But the question that tlhIngan is answering is "Which of those reasons would motivate the Republican party to actually take action?", and that narrows things down quite a bit. The main motivations for almost everything the Republicans have done over that last 5 or so years has been to either antagonize left-leaning people, or satisfy Trump's personal vendettas.

      • President Donald J. trump hates the Washington Post.

        That's because Jeff Bezos has better hair than him.

      • The Republicans truly believe The Great Lie that Trump won the election and Trump is still leader of the Republican party.

        Most of them do not. However, Republicans act together, and that's why they are effective. Democrats don't, so they aren't.

        The republicans who know Trump didn't win, and they are in the majority mind you, are acting as if he did because their base is now Trump's base, and if they don't give Trump a handy they will turn on them.

  • Like, isn't he having some sort of pissing match about when/how long he goes to space?

  • Misspelled Pentagram?
    Jeff Bezosbub? /kidding here!

  • Translation of Republican New-Speak (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Required Snark ( 1702878 ) on Wednesday July 14, 2021 @02:05AM (#61580691)
    "This is exactly what we were concerned about, and it contradicts Amazon's insistence that there is nothing to see here,"

    "It's become more and more clear that Amazon used its market power and paid-for connections to circumvent ethical boundaries and avoid competition in an attempt to win this contract."

    Now in plain English:

    We hate Amazon because we hate Bezos, and we hate him because he owns the Washington Post. The Post reports the truth and calls Republicans (particularly T***p) out when we are spouting bullshit. Normally we love it when corrupt big business colludes with corrupt government, but only when campaign contributions (aka bribes) and overt political groveling are a part of the deal. (BTW. that part about "paid-for connections" is a laugh riot! We live for that cash.)

    And we get a chance to do one of our favorite things to Amazon: Public Hearings, our current spin on the Spanish Inquisition. We get to thump our chests in public and bark like angry baboons while pretending we are doing the public's business. Playing the moral superiority card while engaging in slander and outright falsehood is a cherished Republican tactic. Getting press attention while spewing misinformation and lies is the fuel that gets us elected, and our addiction is total. We are so looking forward to this.

  • As much as I dislike Amazon, perhaps their bid was the best on paper in terms of technical solution, reliability and price. It certainly seemed so at the time which is why the Pentagon cancelling was so fishy. It's almost as though a certain petulant orange bitch had a fit and decided that his own grudge against Jeff Bezos was more important than billions of taxpayer dollars or the software's mission.

  • While we're calling on people to testify... (Score:5, Informative)

    by MachineShedFred ( 621896 ) on Wednesday July 14, 2021 @07:57AM (#61581255) Journal

    I'd like to call on Republicans to testify in hearings about January 6th. Oh wait, there's a select committee in the House that will already be doing that.

    By the way, my calling for testimony carries just as much weight as theirs does, since they lost control of both the House and the Senate. This is a press release and nothing more. The committee chair is the one that gets to decide if there will be a vote to hold hearings on something or not, and none of those are Republicans.

  • But illegal if you or your buddies or people we don't like do it.

    Not saying lobbying and PACs and all that crap is fine, but it seems thats the way US works in general anyway.

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