A copy of the Jan. 28 edition of the National Enquirer featuring Jeff Bezos. (GeekWire Photo)

Jeff Bezos’ security chief has a theory that would explain how a supermarket tabloid obtained intimate text messages between the Amazon CEO and the woman he’s been seeing. It’s a doozy.

According to a wide-ranging report by The Washington Post, Bezos enlisted his longtime security chief, Gavin de Becker, to determine how text messages between the billionaire and Lauren Sanchez landed in the hands of the National Enquirer. Sanchez is a former TV news anchor turned helicopter pilot, with whom Bezos reportedly had an affair before announcing plans to divorce his wife, MacKenzie Bezos last month.

De Becker’s investigation led him to Michael Sanchez, brother of Bezos’ paramour, whose close ties to President Donald Trump’s allies raised questions about whether the leak was politically motivated. In the new report, the Post untangles the complex web of connections and conspiracy theories associated with The Enquirer’s exposé, tracing back to prominent Trump supporters.

Because this story wasn’t complicated enough, Bezos owns The Washington Post, which also has a separate relationship with de Becker, who has served as a security consultant for the newspaper.

The suspect: De Becker’s leading theory is that the couple wasn’t hacked. Instead, he believes the text messages were leaked in a politically motivated attack on Bezos. De Becker’s investigation led him to Michael Sanchez, a “pro-Trump Hollywood talent manager.” Michael Sanchez is an acquaintance of Trump allies Roger Stone and Carter Page, both of whom have drawn scrutiny from federal investigators looking into the president’s ties with Russia.

The countercharge: Michael Sanchez told The Post that he is conducting his own investigation into The Enquirer report and has sought advice from Stone and Page on the security of texts and phone calls. Sanchez turned the accusations back on de Becker, saying he believed that the security chief was involved in the leak to The Enquirer.

The context: Trump and Bezos are not fans of one another. The Amazon CEO once suggested sending Trump to outer space on one of the rockets he owns. Trump mocked Bezos’s divorce on Twitter, the latest in a series of jabs accusing the Amazon CEO of using The Post for political gain, among other allegations.

Trump has a close relationship with David Pecker, the chief executive of The Enquirer’s parent company. The tabloid has admitted to paying hush money to cover up stories about Trump’s affairs to help him politically.

Read the full Washington Post report here.

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to GeekWire's free newsletters to catch every headline

Job Listings on GeekWork

Find more jobs on GeekWork. Employers, post a job here.