National Enquirer's parent company AMI denies any wrongdoing in its reporting of Jeff Bezos
By Kate Smith
/ CBS News
American Media Inc., the parent company behind the National Enquirer, denied any wrongdoing in its coverage of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in a statement Friday morning.
In a scathing Medium post published Thursday evening, Bezos, the Amazon founder and owner of The Washington Post, accused AMI of blackmailing him by threatening to publish intimate photographs unless Bezos publicly backed off criticisms of the media company. Bezos, who's one of the wealthiest people in the world, released what appeared to be emails from attorneys representing the company.
Last month, the National Enquirer reported a story accusing the billionaire of having an affair, publishing private text messages and photographs that prompted Bezos to launch an investigation into how the tabloid obtained the information.
But in a statement Friday morning, AMI defended its reporting, saying it "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 wrote 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 his Medium post, Bezos shared what appeared to be an email dated Wednesday in which Jon Fine, the deputy general counsel of AMI, asked Bezos and his attorney to publicly announce "that they have no knowledge of basis for suggesting that American Media Inc.'s coverage was politically motivated of influencer by political forces, and an agreement that they will cease referring to such a possibility." In exchange, "AM agrees not to publish, distribute, share or describe unpublished texts and photos."
Bezos brushed off the threat. "Any personal embarrassment AMI could cause me takes a back seat because there's a much more important matter involved here," Bezos wrote. "If in my position I can't stand up to this kind of extortion, how many people can?"
First published on February 8, 2019
© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
National Enquirer's parent company responds to Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos published what appeared to be blackmailing emails from American Media Inc. in an extraordinary Medium post
updated 3M ago 
Reporter's Notebook: Finding the balance with "executive time"
Top executives know that free time is important to think about strategy and vision
updated 13M ago 
Whitaker testifies he hasn't talked about Mueller probe with Trump
Matt Whitaker says he will exert executive privilege over conversations with the president
updated 26M ago 
Automakers recall 1.7 million cars over air bag fears
Subaru, Tesla and five other car manufacturers will replace potentially lethal inflators from Takata
updated 51M ago 
Wells Fargo will reverse fees after banking outage
Banking customers complained about delayed direct deposits and problems accessing their accounts
2H ago 
National Enquirer's parent company responds to Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos published what appeared to be blackmailing emails from American Media Inc. in an extraordinary Medium post
updated 3M ago
Reporter's Notebook: Finding the balance with "executive time"
Top executives know that free time is important to think about strategy and vision
updated 13M ago
Whitaker testifies he hasn't talked about Mueller probe with Trump
Matt Whitaker says he will exert executive privilege over conversations with the president
updated 26M ago 
Ivanka Trump claims she "barely" knew about Trump Moscow proposal
The president's elder daughter claimed she's "really not" concerned about anyone she loves getting in trouble with the Russia probe
updated 18M ago 
White House report claims Trump didn't sabotage Obamacare
The White House claims the Trump-era changes give families more options
4H ago 
Albert Finney, Oscar-nominated actor, dies at 82
Albert Finney's family said that he "passed away peacefully after a short illness with those closest to him by his side."
2H ago 
Saudis accused of undermining Khashoggi probe amid secret trial
Kingdom quietly holds 2nd hearing for 11 facing charges over journalist's grisly killing, expert says, as she criticizes lack of transparency
5H ago 
Body recovered from plane wreckage is Argentine soccer player
Argentinian footballer Emiliano Sala and his pilot were in a small aircraft in January when it fell off radar over the English Channel
15H ago 
Discovery of WWII-era bombs temporarily shuts down Rome airport
Italy's Defense Ministry said experts had to remove the three bombs, which weighed more than 300 pounds
17H ago 
Global lawmakers try again to get Zuckerberg to testify
A Facebook vice president sat next to an empty chair reserved for CEO Mark Zuckerberg when the committee met in London last year
21H ago
Albert Finney, Oscar-nominated actor, dies at 82
Albert Finney's family said that he "passed away peacefully after a short illness with those closest to him by his side."
2H ago 
Alicia Keys says 2019 Grammys will be the "sickest" yet
She will be the first woman in 14 years to take the stage as host of the Grammy Awards on Sunday night
2H ago 
2019 Grammys: How to stream online or watch on TV
Alicia Keys will host the 61st annual Grammy Awards from Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS
14H ago 
Old photo shows Joy Behar dressed as "African woman"
During a 2016 segment on ABC's talk show, Behar displayed a 1970s-era photo of herself at a Halloween party
18H ago 
Woody Allen sues Amazon over scuttled four-movie deal
The director is seeking $68 million from the tech giant, which refused to distribute Allen's latest film
20H ago 
Wells Fargo will reverse fees after banking outage
Banking customers complained about delayed direct deposits and problems accessing their accounts
2H ago
Global lawmakers try again to get Zuckerberg to testify
A Facebook vice president sat next to an empty chair reserved for CEO Mark Zuckerberg when the committee met in London last year
21H ago 
NASA and SpaceX reset Crew Dragon test flight for March 2
The Crew Dragon and Starliner spacecraft are the centerpieces of NASA's drive to resume launching U.S. astronauts aboard U.S. rockets from U.S. soil
Feb 6 
Earth could be headed for warmest period on record
The next five years could be even hotter than 2018, which was already near record territory
Feb 7 
Snap reports record revenues, but struggles to add users
Struggling social media company gets a badly needed boost in growth, while its losses narrowed
Feb 5 
Bill would require vaccinations amid Northwest measles outbreak
Cecilia Rodriguez was too young to be vaccinated when she contracted measles. 30 years later, her eye sight, speech and hearing are still affected.
1H ago 
Walgreens tops list for illegal cigarette sales to minors
FDA says the drugstore chain has racked up nearly 1,800 violations for selling tobacco products to children
18H ago 
Ozzy Osbourne hospitalized after flu complications
"His doctors feel this is the best way to get him on a quicker road to recovery," tweeted his wife Sharon
Feb 6 
Pet owners report dog deaths from recalled food
While one company is facing rash of unhappy consumers, it's one of at least 10 that distributed potentially toxic food
Feb 6 
New moms hit especially hard by opioid crisis
Research shows new mothers with opioid use disorder are at a higher of overdose due to lack of resources, shame and stigma
Feb 7 
Automakers recall 1.7 million cars over air bag fears
Subaru, Tesla and five other car manufacturers will replace potentially lethal inflators from Takata
updated 51M ago
Wells Fargo will reverse fees after banking outage
Banking customers complained about delayed direct deposits and problems accessing their accounts
2H ago 
Instagram changes rules on self-harm postings after suicide
The change comes after a father blamed the social-media service for contributing to his daughter's decision to take her life
2H ago 
Cashless trend worries lawmakers: "If it's not discrimination, it's elitism"
Cash is no longer king at many businesses, but a lawmakers across the country are trying to protect consumers' options
3H ago 
Millionaire (and billionaire) taxes: An idea whose time has come?
Proposals to jack up taxes on the richest Americans are back on the political map, and still popular with the public
4H ago 
Customs officer shoots, kills driver at port of entry on U.S.-Mexico border
Authorities say truck apparently tried to run officer over; passenger arrested on Mexico side
5H ago 
Muslim inmate executed after state denies request for imam present
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had stayed the execution over the religious arguments, but the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for it to proceed
7H ago 
Body found stuffed in suitcase identified as missing woman
Her body was found in a large suitcase roughly 20 feet off a busy roadway
19H ago 
Feds open inquiry into billionaire's sex abuse plea deal
Jeffrey Epstein reached a deal in 2008 to secretly end a federal sex abuse case involving at least 40 teenage girls
Feb 7 
Questions persist in county's third Taser-related death
Family members say they have seen "shocking" videos that contradict the police account of Chinedu Okobi's death
19H ago Original Article
