Dell Technologies awarded $9.7B defense contract amid Trump ethics questions

Dell Technologies has been awarded a $9.7 billion Pentagon contract to oversee procurement of Microsoft software across the U.S. military and intelligence community. Reporting focuses on ethics concerns raised after it was revealed that President Trump’s investment portfolio had acquired between $1 million and $5 million in Dell stock in February, followed by additional purchases and repeated public praise of the company. Watchdog groups and ethics experts are warning that the timing creates the appearance of a conflict of interest, while the White House and Trump Organization deny impropriety, claiming independent management of the president’s investments. In December, Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, committed $6.25 billion to seed “Trump” investment accounts for 25 million American children.