An investigator hired by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos believes that his text messages that were used as part of a plot to blackmail him were probably obtained illegally by a ‘government entity.’
As we reported last night, Bezos is accusing American Media Inc. (AMI), the parent company of the National Enquirer, of “extortion and blackmail.” AMI is owned by David Pecker, a close personal friend of Donald Trump.
Last year Pecker, under threats from federal prosecutors, agreed to testify against Trump and provide evidence of “hush money” payments.
Bezos, the world’s richest man, hired famous security consultant Gavin de Becker to investigate how his personal smartphone data was compromised by AMI. De Becker is the world’s foremost expert on blackmail, extortion and threatening messages.
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Late last year, the Enquirer obtained sexually explicit text messages Bezos exchanged with his mistress, Lauren Sanchez, while still married. Bezos yesterday claimed in an explosive post published at Medium.com that AMI tried to extort him by threatening to release explicit photos he sent Sanchez if he continued the investigation.
On The Last Word, Washington Post reporter Manuel Roig-Franzia said he had “spoken extensively” with de Becker, the head of Bezos’ investigation.
“What has Jeff Bezos had to say of your coverage of him, the owner of your newspaper?” MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell asked.
Roig-Franzia said:
“We have no idea, we haven’t spoken with Jeff Bezos and he hasn’t been involved at all in our reporting, but we have spoken extensively with his security consultant.”
“He’s provided us with some very interesting insights into the backstages of this whole drama, including the investigation that has taken place in which they have begun to believe, the Bezos camp, that this publication by the National Enquirer might have been politically motivated”.
“I would just add one other thing. You mentioned hacking at the top of the show,” he continued. “Gavin de Becker told us that he does not believe that Jeff Bezos’s phone was hacked — he thinks it’s possible that a government entity might have gotten ahold of his text messages.”
Bezos has published the graphic extortion messages, which you can read here. After his revelations, journalist Ronan Farrow came out with his own accusations of blackmail against the Enquirer.
If Gavin de Becker has evidence that a government entity — under the direction of President Donald Trump — illegally obtained private text messages of Jeff Bezos to use in a blackmail and extortion plot, then that adds an entirely new dimension to the investigation. It would prove that Donald Trump is using the U.S. government for his own personal benefit, which is in direct contradiction of federal law and the U.S. Constitution.
This new information should lead directly to the indictment and/or impeachment of Donald Trump if it is proven to be true. Let’s hope that federal and congressional investigators look into this further and use it to quickly end Trump’s presidency.
CLICK HERE to watch the interview on MSNBC.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
