WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amazon Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos defended the company's $40 million purchase of the documentary 'Melania' during remarks in Washington, D.C., rejecting allegations that the deal was a pay-to-play arrangement with the Trump administration. Bezos, who stepped down as Amazon's chief executive in 2021, said he had no role in the acquisition and called the persistent characterization of the deal inaccurate.

"The Melania thing is a falsehood that will not die," Bezos said. "I see it reported all the time that somehow I was involved in this but I had nothing to do with that."

Bezos addressed the suggestion that the purchase was intended to win favor with the White House. "It's just not correct to say that buying the film was a way of currying favour with the administration, but I can see why people say this," he said. "By the way, it appears it was a good business decision."

Amazon spent about $35 million marketing the film, which followed the First Lady in the period before Donald Trump's second inauguration. Amazon MGM's offer was $26 million above the next-highest bid, which came from Disney. The film made approximately $16.7 million worldwide at the theatrical box office, failing to recoup its budget. No viewership data has been publicly released, though the film appeared on Amazon's in-house list of most-watched titles upon its streaming release.

In March, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Hank Johnson opened an investigation into whether Amazon MGM's investment in 'Melania' was part of a corrupt pay-to-play arrangement with the Trump administration. Warren accused Amazon MGM Studios of committing "bribery in plain sight" by spending lavishly on the documentary. In a March 15 letter to Amazon, Warren and Johnson wrote that the fact that Amazon is seeking favorable treatment from the Trump administration while paying a far-above-market sum to produce and promote the Trump family's film raises questions about Amazon's exposure under federal anti-bribery law.

Brian Huseman, Amazon's Vice President of Public Policy, addressed the licensing process in a statement. "We disagree with any suggestion that Amazon's decision to license this film and accompanying series was improper. Amazon MGM Studios became the licensor of the film and accompanying series following a thorough and competitive bidding process," he said. Huseman also said, "Our decision was based on the film and series itself — the access, the story, and its cultural and historical relevance." He added that the company regularly releases documentaries that offer unique perspectives on cultural and historical figures across the political spectrum.