Aside from his unfathomable fortune, Jeff Bezos is not having the brightest start to 2019. The world's richest man saw his disturbing “I want to smell you” sexts with his mistress printed on the pages of The National Enquirer, shortly after announcing his divorce from his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Bezos.
In light of these headlines, Bezos is personally funding a probe into the leaked texts, after expressing concern that the maneuver may have been "politically motivated," according to The Daily Beast. The Amazon founder was exchanging explicit messages with Los Angeles news anchor Lauren Sánchez, which contained rather bizarre rhetoric, including, "I love you, alive girl. I will show you with my body, and my lips and my eyes, very soon."
According to those close to the investigation, it was initially assumed that Bezos' phone had been hacked, however, following a digital forensic analysis, no evidence suggests that had been the case. Sánchez' involvement has also been refuted as no evidence supports her involvement in the leak.
The National Enquirer on the other hand is owned and operated by American Media Inc., with David Pecker at the helm of the tabloid. Last month, Pecker admitted to paying $150,000 in hush money ahead of the 2016 presidential election to silence one of Donald Trump's mistresses. The payments were explicitly meant to suppress the woman's account and subsequently prevent her from influencing the election.
Donald Trump does not conceal his childish, deep-seated disdain for Jeff Bezos, which he recently showcased by boastfully promoting the Enquirer story. If the president was in fact involved in the publication of Bezos' texts, Trump and Pecker's relationship would clarify how the tabloid obtained the story in the first place.
Investigators are reportedly looking toward's individuals with connections to the president's inner circle for information surrounding the leak.
