Me too! Ronan Farrow claims National Enquirer's parent company AMI sent him and other journalists 'blackmail' emails to kill stories - as Jeff Bezos naked selfie extortion row with tabloid boils over

Ronan Farrow claimed that American Media Inc has sent him emails in an attempt to blackmail him

'I and at least one other prominent journalist involved in breaking stories about the National Enquirer's arrangement with Trump fielded similar 'stop digging or we'll ruin you' blackmail efforts from AMI,' Farrow said in the Thursday Tweet

He added: '(I did not engage as I don't cut deals with subjects of ongoing reporting)'

Farrow's claim come just a few hours after Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said (AMI) tried to blackmail him

Published: 22:16 EST, 7 February 2019 | Updated: 19:24 EST, 8 February 2019

Ronan Farrow claimed that American Media Inc has sent him emails in an attempt to blackmail him

Ronan Farrow claimed The National Enquirer's parent company AMI also sent him threatening emails in a bid to block his reporting.

The journalist claimed that the company Jeff Bezos has accused of blackmail sent him and 'one other prominent journalist' instructions to 'stop digging or we'll ruin you.'

Farrow has written stories on the Enquirer for The New Yorker, including claims AMI's owner David Pecker would kill stories that were damaging to Trump.

In another story, he said Pecker ordered reporters to stop looking into claims by a former Trump Tower doorman that the president had fathered a love child in the 1980s. No evidence has ever been found that proves the allegations.

Farrow also wrote Pulitzer Prize-winning writing on the extensive cover-up of Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct.

He showed that Weinstein had used private investigation firms and the National Enquirer to try to quiet the allegations coming forward against him.

He also produced emails that showed that Dylan Howard, chief content officer of American Media Inc.'s Celebrity Group, had dispatched a reporter to uncover derogatory information about an actress who had accused Weinstein of rape, and then shared that information with Weinstein.

Howard has said he pursued the information as part of due diligence before entering into a business relationship with Weinstein.

Weinstein, who has denied allegations of non-consensual sex, has maintained he was passing along a news tip to Howard that was never published.

Farrow's claim came just a few hours after Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bezos posted a posted a blog on Medium and provided emails from National Enquirer's parent company American Media Inc (AMI) that suggest they were trying to blackmail him with the threat of publishing 'intimate photos.'

The extraordinary post came a month after Bezos and his affair with Lauren Sanchez was thrust into the spotlight.

The Enquirer ran a story that included sexts the pair sent to each other and intimate photos of them together.

Farrow produced emails that showed that Dylan Howard, chief content officer of American Media Inc.'s Celebrity Group, had dispatched a reporter to uncover derogatory information about an actress who had accused Weinstein of rape, and then shared that information with Weinstein.

Bezos and his wife announced last month that they were divorcing after 25 years of marriage, following a period of 'loving exploration' and trial separation. That same day, the National Enquirer touted that it would publish alleged intimate text messages between Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, whom he was said to be dating.

Farrow's claim come just a few hours after Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bezos posted a blog on Thursday saying the National Enquirer's parent company American Media Inc (AMI) tried to blackmail him with the threat of publishing 'intimate photos'

Since the tabloid affair, Bezos opened an investigation into the leak led by Gavin de Becker, a public safety expert and former appointee of U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

De Becker proceeded to tell media that the leak was politically motivated, which, according to Bezos's blog post Thursday, concerned AMI.

'In the AMI letters I´m making public, you will see the precise details of their extortionate proposal,' Bezos wrote. 'They will publish the personal photos unless Gavin de Becker and I make the specific false public statement to the press that we 'have no knowledge or basis for suggesting that AMI´s coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces.''

In interviews with both The Daily Beast and The Washington Post, de Becker stated his belief that Sanchez's brother Michael could have leaked the information.

He also noted that the leak could have been politically motivated, but did not share any specific details.

Michael is pro-Trump, friendly with both Roger Stone and Carter Page and learned about his sister's affair in April of last year.

AMI did not immediately return a request for comment.

Bezos continued: 'If in my position I can´t stand up to this kind of extortion, how many people can?'

American Media publishes the National Enquirer, RadarOnline, Star and other gossip publications and websites.

Farrow was the first journalist to report on AMI's 'catch and kill' policy when he wrote about Karen McDougal’s alleged affair with Trump

NATIONAL ENQUIRER EMAILS TO BEZOS

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 Photos

CONFIDENTIAL & 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

__________________________________________________________________________________________

From: Fine, Jon [jfine@amilink.com] (Deputy General Counsel, AMI)Sent: Wednesday, February 6, 2019 5:57 PMTo: Martin Singer (Mr de Becker’s attorney)Subject: Re: EXTERNAL* RE: Bezos et al / American Media et al

Marty -

Here are our proposed terms:

1. A full and complete mutual release of all claims that American Media, on the one hand, and Jeff Bezos and Gavin de Becker (the “Bezos Parties”), on the other, may have against each other.

2. A public, mutually-agreed upon acknowledgment from the Bezos Parties, released through a mutually-agreeable news outlet, affirming that they have no knowledge or basis for suggesting that AM’s coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces, and an agreement that they will cease referring to such a possibility.

3. AM agrees not to publish, distribute, share, or describe unpublished texts and photos (the “Unpublished Materials”).

4. AM affirms that it undertook no electronic eavesdropping in connection with its reporting and has no knowledge of such conduct.

5. The agreement is completely confidential.

6. In the case of a breach of the agreement by one or more of the Bezos Parties, AM is released from its obligations under the agreement, and may publish the Unpublished Materials.

7. Any other disputes arising out of this agreement shall first be submitted to JAMS mediation in California

Thank you,

Jon

Deputy General Counsel, Media

American Media, LLC

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Jon P. Fine

Deputy General Counsel, Media

O: (212) 743–6513 C: (347) 920–6541

jfine@amilink.com

February 5, 2019

Via email:

mdsinger@lavelysinger.com

Martin D. Singer

Laveley & Singer

Re: Jeff Bezos / American Media, LLC, et al.

Dear Mr. Singer:

I write in response to your February 4, 2019, letter to Dylan Howard, and to address serious concerns we have regarding the continuing defamatory activities of your client and his representatives regarding American Media’s motivations in its recent reporting about your client.

As a primary matter, please be advised that our newsgathering and reporting on matters involving your client, including any use of your client’s “private photographs,” has been, and will continue to be, consistent with applicable laws. As you know, “the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies . . . for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting . . . is not an infringement of copyright.” 17 USC Sec. 107. With millions of Americans having a vested interest in the success of Amazon, of which your client remains founder, chairman, CEO, and president, an exploration of Mr. Bezos’ judgment as reflected by his texts and photos is indeed newsworthy and in the public interest.

Beyond the copyright issues you raise, we also find it necessary to address various unsubstantiated defamatory statements and scurrilous rumors attributed to your client’s representatives in the press suggesting that “strong leads point to political motives”1 in the publication of The National Enquirer story. Indeed, you yourself declared the “politically motivated underpinnings” of our reporting to be “self-evident” in your correspondence on Mr. de Becker’s behalf to Mr. Howard dated January 31, 2019.

Once again, as I advised you in my February 1 response to your January 31 correspondence, American Media emphatically rejects any assertion that its reporting was instigated, dictated or influenced in any manner by external forces, political or otherwise. Simply put, this was and is a news story.

Yet, it is our understanding that your client’s representatives, including the Washington Post, continue to pursue and to disseminate these false and spurious allegations in a manner that is injurious to American Media and its executives.

Accordingly, we hereby demand that you cease and desist such defamatory conduct immediately. Any further dissemination of these false, vicious, speculative and unsubstantiated statements is done at your client’s peril.Absent the immediate cessation of the defamatory conduct, we will have no choice but to pursue all remedies available under applicable law.

As I advised previously, we stand by the legality of our newsgathering and reporting on this matter of public interest and concern. Moreover, American Media is undeterred from continuing its reporting on a story that is unambiguously in the public interest — a position Mr. Bezos clearly appreciates as reflected in Boies Schiller January 9 letter to American Media stating that your client “does not intend to discourage reporting about him” and “supports journalistic efforts.”

That said, if your client agrees to cease and desist such defamatory behavior, we are willing to engage in constructive conversations regarding the texts and photos which we have in our possession. Dylan Howard stands ready to discuss the matter at your convenience.

All other rights, claims, counterclaims and defenses are specifically reserved and not waived.

Sincerely