I was blackmailed, says Bezos
Amazon accuses National Enquirer of threat to publish intimate photos
Jeff Bezos, chief executive of Amazon.com Inc, has accused the owner of the National Enquirer of trying to blackmail him with the threat of publishing “intimate photos” he allegedly sent to his girlfriend.
That would happen unless he said in public that the supermarket tabloid’s reporting on him was not politically motivated.
The accusation, published in a blog post, is the latest twist in a weeks-long saga that has brought the world’s richest person’s private life into the spotlight and thrusts him deeper into a battle with the leading US tabloid publisher, which has had close links with the president of the US.
“Of course I don’t want personal photos published, but I also won’t participate in their well-known practice of blackmail, political favours, political attacks, and corruption,” Bezos wrote. “I prefer to stand up, roll this log over, and see what crawls out.”
American Media Inc (AMI), the owner of the National Enquirer, did not immediately return a request for comment.
Bezos and his wife announced last month that they were divorcing after 25 years of marriage, following a period of “loving exploration” and trial separation. That same day, the National Enquirer touted it was publishing alleged intimate text messages between Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, a former television anchor whom he was said to be dating.
Shortly after that, Bezos opened an investigation into the leak led by Gavin de Becker, a longtime security consultant and former appointee of US President Ronald Reagan.
De Becker proceeded to tell media that the leak was politically motivated. -