The\u00a0“extortion and blackmail”<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0comes after The National Enquirer published a story last month that included lurid texts between Bezos and former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez.<\/p>\n Since then, private investigators have been looking into how the Enquirer got the texts, which is notable since,\u00a0as part of the deal, Bezos would have to release a public statement that he has \u201cno knowledge or basis\u201d to suggest the tabloid\u2019s reporting was politically motivated.<\/strong><\/p>\n *\u00a0 *\u00a0 *<\/p>\n Bezos details the alleged correspondence between the lawyer for his lead investigator, Martin Singer, and Dylan Howard, the chief content officer for AMI.<\/p>\n “If in my position I can\u2019t stand up to this kind of extortion, how many people can?”<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If only Bezos were a Virginia Democrat – he could just brush it off like it never happened.<\/p>\n *\u00a0 *\u00a0 *<\/p>\n Via Medium.com,<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Something unusual happened to me yesterday.\u00a0<\/strong>Actually, for me it wasn\u2019t just unusual\u200a\u2014\u200ait was a first. I was made an offer I couldn\u2019t refuse. Or at least that\u2019s what the top people at the National Enquirer thought. I\u2019m glad they thought that, because it emboldened them to put it all in writing.\u00a0Rather than capitulate to extortion and blackmail, I\u2019ve decided to publish exactly what they sent me, despite the personal cost and embarrassment they threaten.<\/strong><\/p>\n AMI, the owner of the National Enquirer, led by David Pecker, recently entered into an immunity deal with the Department of Justice related to their role in the so-called \u201cCatch and Kill\u201d process on behalf of President Trump and his election campaign. Mr. Pecker and his company have also been investigated for various actions they\u2019ve taken on behalf of the Saudi Government.<\/p>\n And sometimes Mr. Pecker mixes it all together:<\/p>\n \u201cAfter Mr. Trump became president, he rewarded Mr. Pecker\u2019s loyalty with a White House dinner to which the media executive brought a guest with important ties to the royals in Saudi Arabia. At the time, Mr. Pecker was pursuing business there while also hunting for financing for acquisitions\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Federal investigators and legitimate media have of course suspected and proved that Mr. Pecker has used the Enquirer and AMI for political reasons. And yet AMI keeps claiming otherwise:<\/p>\n \u201cAmerican Media emphatically rejects any assertion that its reporting was instigated, dictated or influenced in any manner by external forces, political or otherwise.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Of course, legitimate media have been challenging that assertion for a long time:<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t know much about most of that a few weeks ago when intimate texts messages from me were published in the National Enquirer. I engaged investigators to learn how those texts were obtained, and to determine the motives for the many unusual actions taken by the Enquirer. As it turns out, there are now several independent investigations looking into this matter.<\/p>\n To lead my investigation, I retained Gavin de Becker. I\u2019ve known Mr. de Becker for twenty years, his expertise in this arena is excellent, and he\u2019s one of the smartest and most capable leaders I know. I asked him to prioritize protecting my time since I have other things I prefer to work on and to proceed with whatever budget he needed to pursue the facts in this matter.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a piece of context:\u00a0My ownership of the Washington Post is a complexifier for me. It\u2019s unavoidable that certain powerful people who experience Washington Post news coverage will wrongly conclude I am their enemy.<\/strong><\/p>\n President Trump is one of those people, obvious by his many tweets. Also, The Post\u2019s essential and unrelenting coverage of the murder of its columnist Jamal Khashoggi is undoubtedly unpopular in certain circles.<\/p>\n (Even though The Post is a complexifier for me, I do not at all regret my investment. The Post is a critical institution with a critical mission. My stewardship of The Post and my support of its mission, which will remain unswerving, is something I will be most proud of when I\u2019m 90 and reviewing my life, if I\u2019m lucky enough to live that long, regardless of any complexities it creates for me.)<\/em><\/p>\n Back to the story:\u00a0Several days ago, an AMI leader advised us that Mr. Pecker is \u201capoplectic\u201d about our investigation. For reasons still to be better understood, the Saudi angle seems to hit a particularly sensitive nerve.<\/strong><\/p>\n A few days after hearing about Mr. Pecker\u2019s apoplexy, we were approached, verbally at first, with an offer. They said they had more of my text messages and photos that they would publish if we didn\u2019t stop our investigation.<\/p>\n My lawyers argued that AMI has no right to publish photos since any person holds the copyright to their own photos, and since the photos in themselves don\u2019t add anything newsworthy.<\/p>\n AMI\u2019s claim of newsworthiness is that the photos are necessary to show Amazon shareholders that my business judgment is terrible.<\/strong>\u00a0I founded Amazon in my garage 24 years ago, and drove all the packages to the post office myself. Today, Amazon employs more than 600,000 people, just finished its most profitable year ever, even while investing heavily in new initiatives, and it\u2019s usually somewhere between the #1 and #5 most valuable company in the world. I will let those results speak for themselves.<\/p>\n OK, back to their threat to publish intimate photos of me.\u00a0I guess we (me, my lawyers, and Gavin\u00a0de Becker) didn\u2019t react to the generalized threat with enough fear, so they sent this:<\/strong><\/p>\n From:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Howard, Dylan [dhoward@amilink.com<\/a>] (Chief Content Officer, AMI) CONFIDENTIAL & NOT FOR DISTRIBIUTION<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Marty:<\/em><\/p>\n I am leaving the office for the night. I will be available on my cell\u200a\u2014\u200a917 XXX-XXXX.<\/em><\/p>\n However, in the interests of expediating this situation, and with The Washington Post poised to publish unsubstantiated rumors of The National Enquirer\u2019s initial report, I wanted to describe to you the photos obtained during our newsgathering.<\/em><\/p>\n In addition to the \u201cbelow the belt selfie\u200a\u2014\u200aotherwise colloquially known as a \u2018d*ck pick\u2019\u201d\u200a\u2014\u200aThe Enquirer obtained a further nine images.<\/strong>\u00a0These include:<\/em><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0Mr. Bezos face selfie at what appears to be a business meeting.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0Ms. Sanchez response\u200a\u2014\u200aa photograph of her smoking a cigar in what appears to be a simulated oral sex scene.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0A shirtless Mr. Bezos holding his phone in his left hand\u200a\u2014\u200awhile wearing his wedding ring. He\u2019s wearing either tight black cargo pants or shorts\u200a\u2014\u200aand his semi-erect manhood is penetrating the zipper of said garment.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0A full-length body selfie of Mr. Bezos wearing just a pair of tight black boxer-briefs or trunks, with his phone in his left hand\u200a\u2014\u200awhile wearing his wedding ring.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0A selfie of Mr. Bezos fully clothed.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0A full-length scantily-clad body shot with short trunks.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0A naked selfie in a bathroom\u200a\u2014\u200awhile wearing his wedding ring. Mr. Bezos is wearing nothing but a white towel\u200a\u2014\u200aand the top of his pubic region can be seen.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0Ms. Sanchez wearing a plunging red neckline dress revealing her cleavage and a glimpse of her nether region.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0Ms. Sanchez wearing a two-piece red bikini with gold detail dress revealing her cleavage.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n It would give no editor pleasure to send this email. I hope common sense can prevail\u200a\u2014\u200aand quickly.<\/em><\/p>\n Dylan.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Well, that got my attention.<\/strong>\u00a0But not in the way they likely hoped. Any personal embarrassment AMI could cause me takes a back seat because there\u2019s a much more important matter involved here. If in my position I can\u2019t stand up to this kind of extortion, how many people can? (On that point, numerous people have contacted our investigation team about their similar experiences with AMI, and how they needed to capitulate because, for example, their livelihoods were at stake.)<\/p>\n In the AMI letters I\u2019m making public, you will see the precise details of their extortionate proposal:<\/strong><\/p>\n They will publish the personal photos unless Gavin de Becker and I make the specific false public statement to the press that we \u201chave no knowledge or basis for suggesting that AMI\u2019s coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n If we do not agree to affirmatively publicize that specific lie, they say they\u2019ll publish the photos, and quickly. And there\u2019s an associated threat: They\u2019ll keep the photos on hand and publish them in the future if we ever deviate from that lie.<\/p>\n Be assured, no real journalists ever propose anything like what is happening here:<\/strong>\u00a0I will not report embarrassing information about you if you do X for me. And if you don\u2019t do X quickly, I will report the embarrassing information<\/em>.<\/p>\n Nothing I might write here could tell the National Enquirer story as eloquently as their own words below.<\/p>\n These communications cement AMI\u2019s long-earned reputation for weaponizing journalistic privileges,<\/strong>\u00a0hiding behind important protections, and ignoring the tenets and purpose of true journalism. Of course I don\u2019t want personal photos published, but I also won\u2019t participate in their well-known practice of blackmail, political favors, political attacks, and corruption.\u00a0I prefer to stand up, roll this log over, and see what crawls out.<\/strong><\/p>\n *\u00a0 *\u00a0 *<\/p>\n From:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Fine, Jon [<\/em>jfine@amilink.com<\/em><\/a>] (Deputy General Counsel, AMI)<\/em><\/p>\n Sent:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Wednesday, February 6, 2019 5:57 PM<\/em> Marty –<\/em><\/p>\n Here are our proposed terms:<\/em><\/p>\n 1. A full and complete mutual release of all claims that American Media, on the one hand, and Jeff Bezos and Gavin de Becker (the \u201cBezos Parties\u201d), on the other, may have against each other.<\/em><\/p>\n 2. A public, mutually-agreed upon acknowledgment from the Bezos Parties, released through a mutually-agreeable news outlet, affirming that they have no knowledge or basis for suggesting that AM\u2019s coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces, and an agreement that they will cease referring to such a possibility.<\/em><\/p>\n 3. AM agrees not to publish, distribute, share, or describe unpublished texts and photos (the \u201cUnpublished Materials\u201d).<\/em><\/p>\n 4. AM affirms that it undertook no electronic eavesdropping in connection with its reporting and has no knowledge of such conduct.<\/em><\/p>\n 5. The agreement is completely confidential.<\/em><\/p>\n 6. In the case of a breach of the agreement by one or more of the Bezos Parties, AM is released from its obligations under the agreement, and may publish the Unpublished Materials.<\/em><\/p>\n 7. Any other disputes arising out of this agreement shall first be submitted to JAMS mediation in California<\/em><\/p>\n Thank you,<\/em><\/p>\n Jon<\/em><\/p>\n Deputy General Counsel, Media<\/em><\/p>\n American Media, LLC<\/em><\/p>\n Jon P. Fine<\/em><\/p>\n Deputy General Counsel, Media<\/em><\/p>\n O: (212) 743\u20136513 C: (347) 920\u20136541<\/em><\/p>\n jfine@amilink.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com\/s3fs-public\/inline-images\/2019-02-07_16-33-12.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nNo thank you, Mr.\u00a0Pecker<\/strong><\/u><\/h3>\n
\n<\/em>Sent:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Tuesday, February 5, 2019 3:33 PM
\n<\/em>To:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Martin Singer (litigation counsel for Mr. de Becker)
\n<\/em>Subject:<\/em><\/strong>. Jeff Bezos & Ms. Lauren Sanchez Photos<\/em><\/p>\n
\nTo:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Martin Singer (Mr de Becker\u2019s attorney)<\/em>
\nSubject:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Re: EXTERNAL* RE: Bezos et al \/ American Media et al<\/em><\/p>\n