A spokesperson for American Media Inc., theEnquirer‘s parent company, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. Michael, a Hollywood manager, did not immediately respond for comment.
In a February interview withVanity Fairin which he spoke of his sister’s relationship to the billionaire, Michael denied leaking explicit photos of the couple but did not deny other involvement with theEnquirer’s story.
“I had nothing to do with the leak of the d— picks,” he said. “That’s the important thing. I never had access.”
Michael continued, “I’m not saying I didn’t do something. The truth will come out about my motivations and how much I believe in Jeff and Lauren’s love.”
“It’s a legendary romance that will blow your mind as to just how in love they are,” he added.
Todd Williamson/Getty
In apost on the websiteMediumposted in February, Bezos accused theNational Enquirerand its owner American Media Inc. of attempting to blackmail and extort him after the story’s publication. He alleges they threatened to publish additional, more explicit photos of him and Sanchez if Bezos didn’t issue a statement saying he had no reason to believe theEnquirerreport was politically motivated.
AMI haspreviously deniedany political motive behind its story about Bezos and Sanchez, though its chairman David Pecker is a longtime ally ofDonald Trump. Last fall, AMI agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors in an investigation of its efforts to help hide negative stories about Trump. The President has regularly clashed with Bezos over his ownership of theWashington Post. Michael Sanchez is also a Trump supporter.
RELATED VIDEO: Jeff Bezos’ and Lauren Sanchez’s Spouses Knew About Their Romance For Months, Says Source
TheEnquirerpublished amonths-long investigationinto Bezos and his relationship with Sanchez in January shortly after Bezos announced his divorce from wife MacKenzie, 48, alleging the two had traveled to “exotic destinations on his $65 million private jet.” The tabloid’s report contained photographs and text messages that Bezos had allegedly sent to Sanchez.
Bezos also claimedEnquirereditor Dylan Howard sent an email to Singer giving a detailed description of intimate photos of Bezos and Sanchez that the publication had obtained. Bezos included the alleged email in hisMediumpost.
“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,” Bezos continued.
Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez.Allen Berezovsky/WireImage; Paul Archuleta/Getty
He concluded, “Of course I don’t want personal photos published, but I also won’t participate in their well-known practice of blackmail, political favors, political attacks, and corruption. I prefer to stand up, roll this log over, and see what crawls out.”
Bezos—considered the world’s richest man with an estimated fortune of $137 billion—and MacKenzie announced they were separating in a joint statement in early January. Hours later, news emerged that theAmazon CEO was dating Sanchez. The news anchor is also divorcing her husband of 13 years, Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell.
source: people.com
