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Here's a thread about the @JeffBezos hack, AMI, and the Saudi connection. Also what ties this together - The @washingtonpost. Apologies in advance, I wrote this in a rush, but thought I'd rather post it now than not post it.
So you must know the story by now. If not, here's a quick summary in the next two tweets:
The National Inquirer, owned by AMI, somehow got hold of very private texts and photos of @JeffBezos, and used some of it to expose an extramarital affair. Bezos launched his own private investigation into just how AMI got hold of those texts and pictures...
AMI, when they knew that Bezos is investigating them, went berserk and essentially threatened Bezos that he should stop investigating them, or else they'll release all of the embarrassing photos they have of him. But instead of caving, Bezos decided to call their bluff.
You can read Bezos's account of all of this on this link. Note how, several times, Bezos points to a Saudi connection, without detailing further, as if he's dropping hints for other reporters and investigators that this is where they ought to probe.
(I think that if you have me added on Twitter/Medium, you should be able to see the parts of Bezos's post that I highlighted. The parts that point to a Saudi connection).
Now the thing is, AMI signed a deal with the US governments in the Cohen case. What I understand is that they confessed to certain shady activities, but also provided info on Cohen, in return for a promise from the government not to prosecute them. edition.cnn.com/2018/12/12/med…
But that deal came with a caveat - if AMI commits any crime subsequent to this deal, then the government can take all their statements to court. Basically they become liable for everything, including all the statements they made as part of the Cohen investigation.
What's AMI's Saudi connection? Well, remember this mysterious magazine that flooded the newstands, just before MBS's 2018 visit to the United States? Well guess who had published it? AMI.
nypost.com/2018/03/27/spe…
nypost.com/2018/03/27/spe…
Both AMI and the Saudis claimed that there was no coordination between the two of them on this magazine - basically that AMI just happened to do this on its own with no direction from Saudi Arabia.
But it was also revealed that AMI sent digital copies of the magazine to Saudi officials a whole three weeks before publication. These Saudi officials in turn forwarded them to others. Still, both sides insist no coordination.
Why was it important for them to claim no coordination? Because had AMI published such a glowing profile on behalf of a foreign governments, they'd have to register as a foreign agent. Basically, if a clear link is found, AMI would have broken the law.
Now initially, I thought that this is what AMI is freaking out about - that further probing would reveal that they did break the law on this occasion. But then, AMI's deal with federal prosecutors pertained to *subsequent* crimes, not past ones, remember.
Prosecutors are already probing whether AMI violated its deal, indicating that it may have committed new crimes?
Note specifically what AMI wanted to blackmail Bezos about: That their attacks on him were not politically motivated. "Politically motivated". That is, that they weren't trying to punish or blackmail Bezos on behalf of a political party or government.
But punish or blackmail Bezos about what? This is where it gets interesting. I mean, we know pretty well that Trump doesn't like Bezos - he called him "Jeff Bozo" here. But who else also has it in for Bezos?
Bezos hints to a deeper motivation himself, when in his post he mentions the WaPost/Khashoggi connection: 
At this point I need to mention something I never mentioned publicly before. In a conversation with a Saudi whistle blower in mid October, said whistle blower told me that MBS is obsessed with the Washington Post and was preparing plans to target its employees.
Sorry to break this thread but had to remove a tweet, safety concerns. Thread continues here
