Government contracts can be awarded to politically supportive entities and denied to those that aren't. Of course in a nicely functioning democracy there is lit

Government contracts can be awarded to politically supportive entities and denied to those that aren't. Of course in a nicely functioning democracy there is little reason to believe this happening. But when the head of government intervenes in the process for no clear reasons and then refuses to explain what that intervention was or why it happened or allow anyone else to comment; and when this is defended as remaining silent because speaking "may tend to incriminate" ala the 5th amendment, then it is clear there was grossly inappropriate intervention. The issue is not whether Amazon or Microsoft win the contract. The issue is whether contract awards are going to be used to force companies to support and obey the party in power. That and the causally related "it can't happen here" mind set.