SELL AFTER SCANDAL?

American Media Inc. Seeking to Sell National Enquirer: Report

A majority stakeholder at AMI reportedly was “really disgusted” by the Enquirer’s reporting on Jeff Bezos’ affair.

American Media Inc. is reportedly seeking to sell the the National Enquirer after facing scandals related to President Trump and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, The Washington Post reports. The decision to sell the tabloid reportedly came from hedge fund manager Anthony Melchiorre, who has an 80 percent stake in AMI. A source told the newspaper that Melchiorre was “really disgusted” by the Enquirer’s reporting on Bezos’ affair. The Enquirer reportedly paid Bezos’ mistress’ brother for photographic evidence, and in a blog post earlier this year Bezos himself accused AMI of attempting to extort him over the story. Melchiorre reportedly did not respond to the Post's request for comment, and a representative for his hedge fund declined to comment.

Bezos’ security consultant, Gavin de Becker, also accused AMI of being “in league” in Saudi Arabia in a Daily Beast op-ed. Beyond the Bezos incident, AMI acknowledged paying ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 for her story about her alleged affair with Trump in order to prevent it from being published and “influencing the election.” The tabloid is also reportedly facing massive debt and declining circulation numbers.

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FAMILY AFFAIR

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