Jeff Bezos Exposes National Enquirer Blackmail Plot Over Saudi Investigation
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos publicly accuses the National Enquirer's parent company AMI of blackmailing him with intimate photos to halt his investigation into the tabloid's ties to Saudi Arabia. Rather than comply with their demands, Bezos publishes the threatening emails himself.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos publicly accuses American Media Inc (AMI), the parent company of the National Enquirer, of blackmailing him with explicit personal photos. The conflict stems from an investigation led by security expert Gavin de Becker to determine how the tabloid obtains Bezos's private texts and photos, which reportedly explores potential connections to Saudi Arabia and political interference with The Washington Post.
AMI representatives tell Bezos that CEO David Pecker is furious about the Saudi angle of the investigation and demand that Bezos stop looking into the matter. As leverage, AMI threatens to publish embarrassing nude selfies unless Bezos issues a public statement falsely claiming he has no knowledge of the Enquirer acting as a politically motivated operative.
Instead of capitulating to the extortion demands, Bezos chooses to expose the scheme by publishing AMI's threatening emails on Medium. He refuses to compromise his principles or his dedication to The Washington Post, deciding that stripping the tabloid of its blackmail leverage is the best way to fight back against their aggressive tactics.