One Scandal, Two Scandal, Red Scandal, Blue Scandal

You know what was fun? Last month's scandal where Arnold's second job as magazine publisher nicely intersected with his first job as pretend-governor when he signed off on a bill protecting their advertisers. But you know what's going to be even more fun? This month's scandal. Cause this time, there's hush money:

Days after Arnold Schwarzenegger jumped into the race for governor and girded for questions about his past, a tabloid publisher wooing him for a business deal promised to pay a woman $20,000 to sign a confidentiality agreement about an alleged affair with the candidate.

American Media Inc., which publishes the National Enquirer, signed a friend of the woman to a similar contract about the alleged relationship for $1,000.

American Media's contract with Gigi Goyette of Malibu is dated Aug. 8, 2003, two days after Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy on a late-night talk show. Under the agreement, Goyette must disclose to no one but American Media any information about her "interactions" with Schwarzenegger.

So let's just get the chain straight here. American Media publishes the National Enquirer. The NE had, two years before, published a cover story on seven-year relationship between Gigi Goyette and Arnold Schwarzenegger. But now, American Media wants Arnold to come on as publisher of Flex and Muscle and Fitness, hoping his star power will revive the flagging franchises. He does. He then runs for governor. American Media, knowing the story they published years before could hurt him (as it's apparently quite well sourced), bribes Gigi and a friend into silence.

This, I think, is my favorite part. The Enquirer didn't want to seem like it was protecting Arnold though. So while the LA Times was running its gropenator series and everyone else was having their fun, the muckrakers decided to stick a toe in the water, but just for appearances:

The Enquirer did run a story repeating allegations in the British media that Schwarzenegger had an extramarital affair. The story was published first on its website before the election, and then in the newspaper three weeks after his election victory. But it was not prominently displayed, running on Page 24.

And so here we are. That second term's looking less and less likely, isn't it?

Update: And it looks like the Enquirer tricked the woman into signing anyway:

She said she did not believe American Media would purchase the rights to her story and then do nothing with it. She thought signing the pledge would be the prelude to a book deal.

"In my mind, it was trying to seal a deal so I wouldn't do the book with anybody else," she told The Times. "That was my feeling in my heart and in my mind."

Hassett added later: "She has reason to believe that she was manipulated by the actions of the people at National Enquirer."

The contract that bears Goyette's signature makes no mention of a book project. Goyette's recollection was that she signed a three-page contract. She said she did not get a copy until several weeks later, via fax, and it was two pages.

Classy, isn't it?