Medium: No Thank You, Mr. Pecker

Jeff Bezos, the wealthiest person in the world, went public with communications from the National Enquirer urging him to stop investigations in exchange for not printing personal photos and texts. “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 ‘Catch and Kill’ process on behalf of President Trump and his election campaign,” Bezos writes for Medium. “Pecker and his company have also been investigated for various actions they’ve taken on behalf of the Saudi Government.” Terms of immunity deals require that no further crimes be committed; Bezos and analysts characterize the National Enquirer communications as extortion. Bezos owns the Washington Post, among the newspapers often attacked by Donald Trump and where journalist Jamal Khashoggi worked before being assassinated at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Bezos pointed out that few people have the resources to stand up to such threats: “Be assured, no real journalists ever propose anything like what is happening here: I will not report embarrassing information about you if you do X for me. And if you don’t do X quickly, I will report the embarrassing information…. These communications cement AMI’s long-earned reputation for weaponizing journalistic privileges, hiding behind important protections, and ignoring the tenets and purpose of true journalism.” Such behavior draws global attention to what some at AMI had hoped might go ignored. – YaleGlobal

Medium: No Thank You, Mr. Pecker

Notes allegedly from the National Enquirer promised not to print embarrassing photos if the world’s richest man ended investigations; Jeff Bezos went public
Jeff Bezos
Thursday, February 7, 2019

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Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin. He owns the Washington Post. 

Lawfare describes the internet crime known as “sextortion.”

Copyright held by Jeff Bezos