The brother of former TV host Lauren Sanchez has vehemently denied leaking intimate texts sent to her by Jeff Bezos.
After the National Enquirer published Bezos' texts to Sanchez, the Amazon CEO mounted a private investigation into how the Enquirer got its hands on the messages.
The private communications provided a window on Bezos' affection for Sanchez, and were released into the public domain just days after the billionaire announced his divorce from Mackenzie Bezos.
Bezos' head of security Gavin de Becker heads up the investigation into the leak. Last week, de Becker told the Daily Beast that he had questioned Sanchez's brother, Michael Sanchez, after concluding that the leak was politically motivated.
Michael Sanchez is an avid Trump supporter and associate of Trump-linked figures including Carter Page and the recently-indicted Roger Stone.
Now Sanchez has hit back in a written statement to the Washington Post, which is owned by Bezos. Sanchez accused de Backer of telling "lies, half-truths, sloppy tabloid leaks, [and] crazy conspiracy theories."
In an interview with the Post, he added that his priorities are to protect his sister's relationship with Bezos and "to clear my name by telling the truth."
He also posited that de Becker himself could have been involved in the leak in order to "sabotage Mr. Bezos and Ms. Sanchez's love affair," thereby preserving Bezos' marriage to Mackenzie Bezos.
When contacted by the Post, de Becker didn't respond specifically to Sanchez's allegations, but said: "Since subjects of investigations often accuse their investigators, even the craziest litany of claims doesn't surprise me." De Becker concluded in his investigation that the leak was "politically motivated."
The National Enquirer also has links to Trump and has admitted to acting in ways which politically benefitted the president while he was running for office. The Enquirer bought the story of playmate Karen McDougal for $150,000 in order to kill it.
Trump's antagonism towards Jeff Bezos is well-known. Axios reported in March that Trump was "obsessed" with taking down Amazon, and the president often lashes out at the Washington Post for what he views as unfairly critical reporting.
When he learned of Bezos' divorce Trump told reporters it would be "a beauty." He later tweeted in praise of the Enquirer's exposé.
