Marion Curtis via AP
American Media, Inc CEO David Pecker is pictured in 2014.
- In multiple reports on Tuesday, it was alleged that the Saudis were behind the hack of Jeff Bezos' phone in 2018.
- Eight months later, the National Enquirer published text message conversations and personal photos confirming Bezos had an extramarital affair.
- The new reports raise questions about whether the private messages obtained by the National Enquirer were given to them by the Saudis.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was responsible for hacking Jeff Bezos's phone in 2018, according to UN investigators and a forensic report from FTI Consulting.
The revelations this week add a new layer to the saga of the Amazon CEO, who became tabloid fodder last year when the National Enquirer exposed details about his extramarital affair based on highly-personal text messages and photos.
The new reports raise questions about whether the National Enquirer's then-owner, American Media, Inc. (AMI), conspired with the Saudis to get dirt on Bezos, though they both deny cooperating on the story.
It also raises questions about AMI's publisher, David Pecker.
Pecker has been friends with President Donald Trump for decades. And not only does AMI's publications have a history of pro-Trump stories, but Pecker himself also came under investigation for allegedly paying off women claiming to be Trump's mistresses in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. Trump himself views Bezos as an enemy because he owns the Washington Post, which has published accurate stories about his administration that he calls "fake news."
Continue to read more about Pecker's rise to publishing baron and his well-documented connections to the president.