The claim by the London Tabloid Sunday, which we covered earlier, that the FBI had secret files on Michael Jackson, have not been substantiated, and many are saying the tabloid recycled old news and fabricated figures such as that “24 boys paid off $35 million” to sound legitimate, under the lull of of exact numbers, which sound a lot like facts.
“None of this is new – zero – and there was no FBI involvement” said CNN Special Investigations reporter Drew Griffin. “It just sounds like recycled tabloid reports from 20 years ago.”
Journalist Diane Dimond concurred, saying “It is obvious the paper took this old story and proceeded to make it seem new by adding numbers to it…the problem is there’s no evidence to back up the claim that Jackson made that many payoffs.”
Some surmise that the source Sunday used was former porn actor turned private investigator Paul Barresi, who had his license revoked for fabricating evidence. This has not been substantiated, and when questioned about it, he said “I have no comment and that’s all I have to say.”
Assuming that Sunday bullshitted their story, it further shows how frustrating it is to have no certainty or closure on public issues, despite our eagerness for a smoking gun or compelling evidence. Though Jordan Chandler’s father was paid off between $16 million and $20 million to keep his mouth shut, the others we can’t know with certainty, though Wade Robson, the choreographer who formerly defended Jackson on trial, has changed his story and brought his own case against the late pop star.