Amazon's Jeff Bezos accuses National Enquirer owner of 'extortion and blackmail'
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos accused the National Enquirer’s parent company, American Media Inc., of “extortion and blackmail” on Thursday for threatening to publish scandalous photos of him and his girlfriend if he didn’t drop an investigation into how the tabloid obtained text messages exposing his extra-marital affair.
According to the emails that Bezos published, which have not been independently reviewed by NBC News, AMI threatened to publish texts from Bezos and his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, that included photos of a sexual nature. In exchange for withholding the photos, AMI demanded that Bezos stop the Washington Post, which he owns, from reporting about political motivations behind the National Enquirer's initial reports about his relationship with the former TV anchor.
"If in my position I can’t stand up to this kind of extortion, how many people can?" Bezos wrote on the blogging website Medium of one letter in which an AMI representative detailed embarrassing photos and texts that the tabloid planned to publish revealing his relationship with Sanchez.
David Pecker, CEO of AMI, which owns National Enquirer, and President Donald Trump are known to be friends, and Pecker has been accused of buying controversial stories about Trump to keep them private.
A spokesperson for AMI declined to comment. Bezos' verified Twitter account sent out a link to the post. An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the authenticity of the blog post.
“These communications cement AMI’s long-earned reputation for weaponizing journalistic privileges, hiding behind important protections, and ignoring the tenets and purpose of true journalism,” Bezos wrote.
The blog post, published late Thursday afternoon, contained emails that Bezos said were from Dylan Howard, AMI’s chief content officer, and Jon Fine, AMI’s deputy general counsel.
Howard’s email, dated Feb. 5 and sent to Martin Singer, a lawyer for an investigator hired by Bezos, laid out in detail the 10 photos that AMI claimed to have of Bezos and Sanchez, including what Howard called a “below the belt selfie.”
Fine’s email laid out “proposed terms” for a deal to keep the photos out of the press, which included Bezos and his investigator publicly stating that AMI’s coverage was not politically motivated.
Bezos claimed that these emails proved that AMI sought to extort him.
“Of course I don’t want personal photos published, but I also won’t participate in their well-known practice of blackmail, political favors, political attacks, and corruption,” Bezos wrote. “I prefer to stand up, roll this log over, and see what crawls out.”
Bezos, the world’s richest man with a net worth of roughly $136 billion , has been at the center of a highly publicized divorce from his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, that he announced on Jan. 9 . Later that day, the National Enquirer published an article alleging that Bezos had begun a relationship with Sanchez, the wife of a Hollywood talent agent.
In the next two weeks, the tabloid published a series of stories about Bezos that included his texts with Sanchez. Shortly thereafter, The Daily Beast reported that Bezos had launched an investigation into how the tabloid acquired those texts. On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that Bezos’ investigation had found reason to believe the leak to be politically motivated.
The Washington Post has reported critically about Trump and extensively covered the ongoing investigations into his presidential campaign and administration. In response, Trump has repeatedly lashed out at the Post and Bezos, alleging that the Amazon CEO was using the paper for political purposes.
Pecker’s political connections to Trump generated some suspicion that National Enquirer’s investigation of Bezos had political underpinnings. Pecker’s connection to Trump has been the subject of extensive reporting as well as an investigation from federal prosecutors, who granted Pecker immunity in their investigation into Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer.
Chip Stewart, professor of journalism at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, said that if the emails are authentic, Bezos’ case that AMI committed extortion would be strong — and strengthened further if AMI publishes the photos in response.
“I think it would make the case that they’re engaging in extortion even stronger,” Stewart said of the prospect of AMI publishing the photos. “If they want to wind up with an even longer jail sentence, they should go ahead and do that.”
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How far is too far? Do public figures have the right to privacy? Does the press have the right to publish anything?
This goes well beyond freedom of the press. This is extortion, and from what I understand in violation of AMI's agreement with the SDNY to keep themselves out of court with respect to the Karen McDugal/Stormy Daniels payoffs.
This is what Bezos is accusing AMI and, the National Enquirer of, which if it can be proven in a court would indeed kill the deal with Mueller. Of course, it isn't the first time for the National Enquirer to be sued in court, the most famous of their law suits that I can remember is the one where Carol Burnett sued them for liable and, won.
Good point. I didn't think about that.
Again, another good point. Seems the plot thickens.
Bezos doesn't have the right to privacy, IMO, but this is illegal.
So do you feel that public figures have no privacy rights? Is it part of what they do? (inquiring minds want to know, LOL)
Well, when it comes to things like what is printed, courts have determined that public figures don't have the same right to privacy as a regular citizen.
Although I suppose it would depend on what the photos contained, since nude photos are different than written words.
Either every individual has a right to privacy or no individual has a right to privacy. By what criteria do you choose who has a right ( whatever that right) or does not have a right?
The National Enquirer may not survive this. Remember Gawker? Bezos has the means, and evidently the facts on his side, to put the Enquirer out of business.
Good point. I would love it if that rag was forced to shut down.
Great point John. Totally forgot about that. I wouldn't cry if Bezos buried them. Their sole purpose seems to be making money off of other people's misery, true or not.
I have Stephanie Ruhle show on right now, and she has a guest from the media who says this is going to be one of the biggest stories of 2019.
If AMI has committed a crime regarding Bezos, David Pecker is in violation of his co-operation agreement with the federal prosecutors. Becker is tight with the Trump family and Bezos is a major enemy of the Trump family. When they pull the threads on this something ugly may unravel.
Saudi Arabia and the murder of the journalist may play into this all as well.
Actually, one of the things that AMI wanted was for Bezos to kill the story on the Kashoggi's murder.
Paybacks are a bitch.
Trump's America is a Swampy Swampier Swampiest Swamp Swamp Swamp...
David Pecker, CEO of AMI, which owns National Enquirer, and President Donald Trump are known to be friends, and Pecker has been accused of buying controversial stories about Trump to keep them private."
quite possibly,
cause all Dicky Tricky Trumppys' friends
R
Peckers !
,
When all of this tangled fckn mess is unraveled and revealed its' gonna make watergate look like a cabbage patch picnic
with
Extra Antz
with so many left having to scream Uncle
Festering till the lights go out
screwed
like the ones he can't here in his ears
A remark in general: OH BROTHER! This is a bigger mess than I realized.
i hear ya SISTER, but are
you referring to moi',
or the sassy Soap Opera that our "rea;ity' has somehow become ?
either neither way,
igknorantzrulz,
and it's a damn shame !
I wonder if Elizabeth Warren agrees with Trump in this regard. Looks like WaPo has essentially ended her 2020 Presidential bid.
What the WaPo did was report what needed to be reported. Warren can spin this any way she likes, but she did do, what she said she didn't do. Now whether or not putting that on her state license advanced her in some way, is up for debate, but she did misrepresent herself.
I don’t disagree. I just wonder if WaPo’s motivation was purely altruistic. Warren’s proposed wealth tax will cost Bezos about $4 Billion and he has a platform to exert a tremendous amount of influence.
I am currently drumming my fingers on my desk just waiting for the next shoe to drop
youre allowed
to work barefoot...
Trout is not loud and,
she doesn't have bears feet.
You haven't seen me when I drink
You have bears feet when you drink?
LOL!
Why, yes. Yes, I do
It does feel that way. And I have to say, that when I posted this, I was just thinking about privacy issues. I never thought of all these other complications.
Dear Friends FLYNAVY! and Galen Marvin Ross: According to Rachel Maddow last night, the September 18, 2018 deal between Muller, the Southern District Court, the Justice Department and David Pecker for Pecker AMI and the National Enquirer in part stipulate that Pecker et al only get to keep immunity granted if they abstain from ANY illegal action, related or unrelated to Mueller and the SDC's investigations for his assistance in their work.
Ms. Maddow is most probably correct in assessing that Mr. Pecker and his conglomerate are "apoplectic" about the evidence of extortion being published by Mr. Bezos. For good cause.
Never a dull moment, right?
E.
Dear Friend Enoch, it is indeed getting interesting, deserving of popcorn.
How ironic that Bezos is upset about surveillance, even as Amazon touts its own surveillance software and systems. Apparently what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander.
I keep thinking we are going to reach the bottom of this societal abyss but it's all day, everyday, no end in sight.
I know the feeling.... it seems like a bottomless pit.