US: Tabloid to probe extortion claims by Amazon founder

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON

Tabloid magazine National Enquirer on Friday said it would probe claims brought by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos that the publication threatened to publish lewd images of him unless he backed off an investigation of the magazine.

The Enquirer, along with its parent company American Media, Inc. (AMI), said while it believes it acted lawfully in how the magazine reported on Bezos, it would thoroughly investigate extortion claims.

"American Media believes fervently that it acted lawfully in the reporting of the story of Mr. Bezos. Further, at the time of the recent allegations made by Mr. Bezos, it was in good faith negotiations to resolve all matters with him," AMI said in a statement.

"Nonetheless, in light of the nature of the allegations published by Mr. Bezos, the Board has convened and determined that it should promptly and thoroughly investigate the claims. Upon completion of that investigation, the Board will take whatever appropriate action is necessary."

In a piece published Thursday on the online platform Medium, Bezos explained the Enquirer and AMI sent emails threatening to publish intimate photos in their publication after the Amazon chief launched an investigation into how the tabloid obtained text messages revealing his relationship with former TV personality Lauren Sanchez.

Bezos launched an investigation into the matter of the text messages, which were published by the Enquirer soon after he announced he would be divorcing his wife last month.

The Enquirer demanded Bezos put out a public statement saying he has "no knowledge or basis for suggesting that AMI’s coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces," otherwise the tabloid would publish a nude photo of Bezos, along with other lewd photos.

Bezos refused, however, instead published the emails sent by the Enquirer, and said AMI has a "long-earned reputation for weaponizing journalistic privileges, hiding behind important protections, and ignoring the tenets and purpose of true journalism."