The Saudis are likely to be cleared of any direct culpability in the theft and release to the National Enquirer of Jeff Bezos’ steamy texts and alleged “below the belt” selfies intended for his mistress, Page Six is told.
An investigation headed by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has apparently found no evidence that the Saudis were directly responsible for leaking embarrassing intimate photos of the Amazon billionaire to the National Enquirer.
According to multiple sources, we’re told that it was determined possible that the Saudis had in fact hacked Bezos — as they have the technology — but there was no proof that they’d directly handed revealing photos and information to the Enquirer. The publication revealed Bezos’ extramarital affair with Lauren Sanchez in January, quoting a host of his amorous texts, but held back on the personal pics.
But the Amazon CEO later accused AMI, the publisher of the National Enquirer, of “extortion and blackmail” by threatening to release “below the belt selfies” and further embarrassing pictures if he didn’t stop his investigation into the leaks, and also drop claims that the Enquirer exposé into the Washington Post owner was politically motivated, largely because of the newspaper’s coverage of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Bezos further stated in a Medium post that AMI chief David Pecker and his company had already been investigated for various actions they’ve taken on behalf of the Saudi government.
Bezos’ security chief, Gavin de Becker, also said that he believed the Saudis had access to information about the Sanchez affair. De Becker wrote in the Daily Beast: “Our investigators and several experts concluded with high confidence that the Saudis had access to Bezos’ phone, and gained private information.” He strongly believes AMI published the story to please the kingdom, stating the National Enquirer tried to “strong-arm an American citizen whom [Saudi Arabia’s] country’s leadership wanted harmed, compromised and silenced,” according to de Becker.
Reps for Amazon and Bezos didn’t get back to us.
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