Brother reported as source of texts by Bezos, mistress
WASHINGTON — Private investigators working for Jeff Bezos have concluded that the brother of the Amazon CEO’s mistress leaked the couple’s intimate text messages to the National Enquirer, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press on Monday.
The person wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The findings add to the intrigue surrounding the clash between the pro-Trump tabloid and the world’s richest man. Bezos’ investigators have suggested the Enquirer’s coverage of his affair was driven by dirty politics. Trump has been highly critical of Bezos over his ownership of the Washington Post and Amazon, and the Post’s coverage of the White House.
The brother, Michael Sanchez, is a supporter of President Donald Trump and an acquaintance of Trump allies Roger Stone and Carter Page. He is also the manager of his sister, Lauren Sanchez, a former TV anchor. The investigators have not said how they believe Michael Sanchez came into possession of his sister’s intimate messages.
Michael Sanchez did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. In a Jan. 31 tweet, he said, without evidence, that Bezos’ longtime security consultant, Gavin de Becker, who is leading the investigation, “spreads fake, unhinged conservative conspiracy theories.”
An attorney for the tabloid’s parent company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Sunday, an attorney for the head of American Media, which owns the Enquirer, said the information had been provided by a “reliable source” well-known to Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. The source had provided information to the company for at least seven years, Elkan Abromowitz, an attorney for American Media Inc. chief executive David Pecker, said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Asked if Sanchez was the source, he said: “I’m not permitted to tell you or confirm or deny who the source is.”
The Daily Beast, citing people inside American Media Inc., reported Sanchez was the Enquirer’s source.
Bezos ordered the investigation after the Enquirer published a story about the affair last month.