Jeff Bezos accuses National Enquirer parent company of 'extortion and blackmail' over dick pics
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos today took the highly unusual step of publishing correspondence with Trump-allied tabloid publisher AMI, which owns the National Enquirer. The Amazon CEO says this correspondence reveals threats made by AMI to publish nude intimate photos of Bezos, unless Bezos stops criticizing AMI's coverage.
I've written a post about developments with the National Enquirer and its parent company, AMI. You can find it here: https://t.co/G1ykJAPPwy
- Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) February 7, 2019
Yes, that's a lot to digest.
We'll give you a moment.
Excerpt from the post titled "No thank you, Mr. Pecker," which Jeff Bezos just published on Medium.com:
Back to the story: Several days ago, an AMI leader advised us that Mr. Pecker is "apoplectic" about our investigation. For reasons still to be better understood, the Saudi angle seems to hit a particularly sensitive nerve.
A few days after hearing about Mr. Pecker's 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't stop our investigation.
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't add anything newsworthy.
AMI's claim of newsworthiness is that the photos are necessary to show Amazon shareholders that my business judgment is terrible. I 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's usually somewhere between the #1 and #5 most valuable company in the world. I will let those results speak for themselves.
OK, back to their threat to publish intimate photos of me. I guess we (me, my lawyers, and Gavin de Becker) didn't react to the generalized threat with enough fear, so they sent this:
From: Howard, Dylan [dhoward@amilink.com] (Chief Content Officer, AMI)
Sent: Tuesday, February 5, 2019 3:33 PM
To: Martin Singer (litigation counsel for Mr. de Becker)
Subject:. Jeff Bezos & Ms. Lauren Sanchez PhotosCONFIDENTIAL & NOT FOR DISTRIBIUTION
Marty:
I am leaving the office for the night. I will be available on my cell"-"917 XXX-XXXX.
However, in the interests of expediating this situation, and with The Washington Post poised to publish unsubstantiated rumors of The National Enquirer's initial report, I wanted to describe to you the photos obtained during our newsgathering.
In addition to the "below the belt selfie"-"otherwise colloquially known as a 'd*ck pick'""-"The Enquirer obtained a further nine images. These include:
Mr. Bezos face selfie at what appears to be a business meeting.
Ms. Sanchez response"-"a photograph of her smoking a cigar in what appears to be a simulated oral sex scene.
A shirtless Mr. Bezos holding his phone in his left hand"-"while wearing his wedding ring. He's wearing either tight black cargo pants or shorts"-"and his semi-erect manhood is penetrating the zipper of said garment.
A 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"-"while wearing his wedding ring.
A selfie of Mr. Bezos fully clothed.
A full-length scantily-clad body shot with short trunks.
A naked selfie in a bathroom"-"while wearing his wedding ring. Mr. Bezos is wearing nothing but a white towel"-"and the top of his pubic region can be seen.
Ms. Sanchez wearing a plunging red neckline dress revealing her cleavage and a glimpse of her nether region.
Ms. Sanchez wearing a two-piece red bikini with gold detail dress revealing her cleavage.
It would give no editor pleasure to send this email. I hope common sense can prevail"-"and quickly.
Dylan.
YOWZA.
Link: "No thank you, Mr. Pecker." [MEDIUM]
Interesting that the Bezos post is nowhere to be found on the Medium.com home page?
Screenshot, one hour after the Bezos post went live:
What a day. https://t.co/kQcZ42SSDo pic.twitter.com/FFDS0W3Hm4
- Lydia Polgreen (@lpolgreen) February 7, 2019
This will lead to the dissolution of AMI https://t.co/ilo55V4SAG
- Rory Laverty (@rorylaverty) February 8, 2019
I'll say what we're all thinking: Bezos is a pretty good blogger.
- Summer Anne Burton (@summeranne) February 8, 2019
So this seems important. Bezos is suggesting, not just that he was subject to an extortion attempt, but that this is actually common practice for AMI pic.twitter.com/Urol2gQy5C
- Julian Sanchez (@normative) February 8, 2019
To be a lawyer for the National Enquirer is to have to write this phrase: "semi-erect manhood is penetrating the zipper of said garment."https://t.co/fz1EygbCXR
- Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) February 8, 2019
If you didn't laugh at the log reference, you're better than I am pic.twitter.com/vNZKL23RLA
- Heidi N. Moore (@moorehn) February 8, 2019