Jeff Bezos Accuses National Enquirer Parent Company of Extortion
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos publicly accuses American Media Inc. of blackmail after the National Enquirer threatens to release intimate personal photos. AMI firmly denies the extortion allegations while its board launches an internal investigation into the matter.
Amazon CEO and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos accuses American Media Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer, of extortion and blackmail. Bezos claims the tabloid threatens to publish embarrassing personal photos of him unless he halts his investigation into how the publication originally obtained his private texts and images.
Bezos highlights the alleged blackmail in a Medium blog post by publishing emails he says show the negotiation tactics of AMI's executives. He states that the publishers believe they are making him an offer he cannot refuse, which he gladly uses to force their communications into the open.
AMI strongly denies any illegal behavior and insists it acts lawfully in its reporting on the billionaire's extramarital affair. Despite this firm defense, the AMI board convenes to promptly and thoroughly investigate Bezos' explosive claims before taking any necessary action.