Former RFK Jr. Running Mate Nicole Shanahan Offered Washington Post Reporter $500K to Reveal Sources: Report

Former vice presidential candidate Nicole Shanahan allegedly offered a reporter for The Washington Post $500,000 in exchange for the names of sources who leaked information about her, according to the newspaper.

Shanahan, a 39-year-old environmental lawyer and San Francisco Bay Area native, was told in June that The Washington Post was working on a long story that included explosive details about her marriage to ex-husband Sergey Brin, according to with the newspaper.

In response, Shanahan “texted an associate who had been contacted” by journalists working on the article and suggested “a deal,” the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

As part of the deal, the associate said Shanahan would “pay his friend” – the reporter who contacted the associate – “half a million dollars to be a whistleblower” and disclose the sources who were spreading what Shanahan claimed was false information about her. , according to the newspaper.

The associate then relayed the offer to a Washington Post reporter, who did not respond, according to the newspaper.

It is unclear which reporter was offered the alleged deal.

Asked for comment Wednesday, a Washington Post spokesperson referred the Post back to the story.

Brin, who filed for divorce from Shanahan in January 2022 after learning of an alleged affair she had with Tesla CEO Elon Musk a month earlier, was married to Shanahan for five years.

Musk and Shanahan have vehemently denied an affair.

The New York Post requested comment from Shanahan and Brin.

According to the article, Shanahan told The Washington Post last week that he disputed aspects of the newspaper’s reporting, adding: “I’m sorry that you feel it’s appropriate to do this for political motivations. It’s a very sad state our country finds itself in.”

Shanahan, the longtime Democrat who reportedly walked away with more than $1 billion as part of her divorce settlement with Google co-founder Brin, was singled out by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his support of former President Donald Trump.

Wednesday’s Washington Post story cited several unnamed sources who weighed in on Shanahan’s political transformation from supporter of Silicon Valley Democrats to regular presence at events promoting a second Trump term in the White House.

The story features the bylines of four Washington Post journalists – Elizabeth Dwoskin, Ashley Parker, Meryl Kornfield and Aaron Schaffer.

The article also includes salacious details about her marriage to Brin and the strain the union allegedly caused on the tech mogul’s family, as well as the impact it had on her relationship with Google co-founder Larry Page.

According to The Washington Post, Page disapproved of Brin’s relationship with Shanahan, which allegedly caused a strain on their friendship to the point where the two Google co-founders stopped speaking to each other.

Shanahan also reportedly drove a wedge between Brin and his two children from his first marriage to technology entrepreneur Anne Wojcicki.

According to the article, Brin and Wojcicki were on friendly terms when they finalized their divorce in 2015.

Wojcicki, co-founder and CEO of personal genetics company 23andMe, discovered that Brin was having an extramarital affair with a younger Google employee, according to the report.

Shanahan then began a relationship with Brin just as she was preparing to marry investor Jeremy Kranz, who then proceeded to officiate the wedding just weeks after exchanging their wedding vows.

According to the report, Brin began limiting his contacts with Wojcicki, his children and his family after his romance with Shanahan began.

The Google co-founder reportedly missed his younger brother’s wedding rehearsal dinner.

It was also reported that Brin “disappeared” from family events, such as his daughter’s birthday, because he was “too attentive” when Shanahan was around, an unidentified individual told The Washington Post.

According to the report, Brin and Shanahan’s relationship began to fall apart in the months following their 2018 wedding.

The two often fought over disagreements about work and travel.

The last straw came in late 2021 when Brin learned of her alleged extramarital affair with Musk, according to the report.

Brin and Shanahan’s divorce was finalized in May of last year.

According to The Washington Post, Brin agreed to a divorce settlement that paid Shanahan more than $1 billion.

But the tech mogul is said to be unhappy about using the money to run for vice president.

“Sergey gave her money so she wouldn’t do harmful things to him,” a person familiar with Brin’s thinking told the newspaper.

“So now she’s doing things that are harmful to the country.”

The New York Post requested comment from Page and Wojcicki.

Both declined to respond to The Washington Post story.