Bezos: AMI demand extortion
was ‘‘apoplectic’’ about Bezos’ investigation, Bezos said. AMI later approached Bezos’ representatives with an offer.
‘‘They said they had more of my text messages and photos that they would publish if we didn’t stop our investigation,’’ Bezos wrote in the post.
Bezos wrote that this week, the tabloid’s editor, Dylan Howard, emailed an attorney for Bezos’ longtime security consultant to describe photos the Enquirer ‘‘obtained during our newsgathering.’’ The photos include a ‘‘below the belt selfie’’ of Bezos, photos of him in tight boxer-briefs and wearing only a towel, and several revealing photos of Sanchez, according to the email Bezos released in his blog post.
According to the emails, an attorney for AMI offered a formal deal on Thursday: The tabloid wouldn’t post the photos if Bezos and his investigators would release a public statement ‘‘affirming that they have no knowledge or basis’’ to suggest the Enquirer’s coverage was ‘‘politically motivated or influenced by political forces.’’
Bezos said he decided to publish the emails sent to his team ‘‘rather than capitulate to extortion and blackmail,’’ despite the ‘‘personal cost and embarrassment they threaten.’’
AMI didn’t demand any money from Bezos, the world’s richest person – only that he call off his investigation and issue a statement saying the coverage wasn’t political.
A spokesman and an attorney for AMI did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
In its January 9 story, the Enquirer reported that Bezos sent ‘‘sleazy text messages and gushing love notes’’ to Sanchez, months before Bezos announced he was splitting up with his wife, MacKenzie. Reporters for the Enquirer followed Bezos and Sanchez ‘‘across five states and 40,000 miles’’ and ‘‘tailed them in private jets, swanky limos, helicopter rides, romantic hikes, fivestar hotel hideaways, intimate dinner dates and ‘quality time’ in hidden love nests,’’ the tabloid said in its story. The story carries the bylines of Howard and two reporters.
After the story ran, Bezos ordered his longtime security consultant, Gavin de Becker, to lead the probe into how the Enquirer obtained the lewd text messages. His private investigators have concluded that Bezos’ phone wasn’t hacked. Instead, they’ve been focusing on Sanchez’s brother, according to a person familiar with the matter.
De Becker and his team suspect Michael Sanchez, a talent manager who touts his support of Trump and is an acquaintance of Trump allies Roger Stone and Carter Page, may have provided the information to the Enquirer, the person said.
Sanchez, who is also his sister’s manager, has declined to speak with The Associated Press on the record and did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment yesterday. In a tweet, he said de Becker ‘‘spreads fake, unhinged conservative conspiracy theories’’ and ‘‘dog whistle’ smears.’’
AMI was a focus of the federal investigation into campaign finance violations by Trump’s former personal attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen. –AP United States officials say the Guantanamo Bay detention centre could receive new prisoners for the first time in more than a decade under one option being considered as the US withdraws its forces from Syria and works to resolve the fate of hundreds of captured Islamic State fighters. US-backed Syrian fighters hold nearly 1000 suspected IS fighters and have warned they may not be able to continue to secure them after the withdrawal ordered by President Donald Trump in December. The State Department and Pentagon say the foreign fighters should be repatriated and prosecuted, but Guantanamo remains an option for those who are not. Experts say sending IS suspects to Guantanamo would open up legal challenges, but US military officials have said the base can accommodate additional prisoners. Luxury fashion is all about breaking codes, creating a new, irresistible message that captivates consumers. But some of the globe’s top brands have raised eyebrows with designs that have racist connotations. The latest instance of that was Italian fashion designer Gucci, which produced a black wool balaclava sweater with an oversized collar that pulls over the chin and nose. It includes a slit where the mouth is, ringed with what look like giant red lips. Its similarity to blackface prompted an instant backlash from the public and forced the company to apologise publicly late Wednesday. Gucci also withdrew the offending garment from sale on websites and stores. It said the incident would be ‘‘a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team and beyond’’. But the question persists: How can fashion houses that thrive on detail miss such critical social cues? Prada similarly withdrew a monkey bag charm that recalled blackface in December, saying it ‘‘abhors racist imagery.’’