Dem calls for supermarket chains to pull National Enquirer from shelves

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) on Monday called on leading supermarket chains to remove the National Enquirer from their shelves, saying the tabloid is a “purveyor of fabricated news.”

“Recent events make clear that the tabloid is a purveyor of fabricated news and possibly a vehicle in the furtherance of illegal extortion, blackmail, and other crimes. In the interest of your millions of customers, this tabloid should be removed from all your store shelves,” Pascrell wrote in a letter to executives at Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Publix and Food Lion.

{mosads}His letter comes as the tabloid has faced allegations from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos that it tried to blackmail him.

In the letter, Pascrell notes Bezos’s allegations and says the tabloid was “an unofficial arm” of President Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, “maintaining a near-complete flow of negative publicity” aimed at his opponents.

“This pattern of behavior makes it clear that [National Enquirer publisher David] Pecker uses the National Enquirer tabloid both in total support of the leader of a political party and in furtherance of scabrous and potentially illegal schemes,” Pascrell wrote.

The National Enquirer tabloid is a geyser of toxic misinformation and a possible vehicle of criminal activity. I’ve called on the leaders of our largest trusted supermarkets to pull it from their shelves. pic.twitter.com/hitf6gblIu

— Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@BillPascrell) February 25, 2019

He added that the matter “transcends politics and speaks directly to the valued place each of you holds in our national life.”

“Supermarkets mark the upward evolution of modern society,” he continued. “I know you would never dispense other agents of sickness to the tens of millions of customers who walk through your aisles every day. Misinformation makes our society sick and the National Enquirer tabloid is a primary purveyor of it.”

“I look forward to work with you to achieve this goal. If you disagree, please explain the rationale for the continued dissemination of fabricated news,” Pascrell added.