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New York Daily News - Home - The billionaire, the Post and the $220G shakedown

A New York Post Page Six staffer solicited $220,000 from a high-profile billionaire in return for a year's "protection" against inaccurate and unflattering items about him in the gossip page, the Daily News has learned.

Man. They's ballsy over at the Post: "Give me money or I'll make up crazy shit about you and publish it in the dirty rag no one trusts." I can understand why they might want to zero in on him, though:

"There are various levels of protection," Stern begins, saying for "level one," Burkle would be a source for Page Six and provide items about his celebrity friends as a way of getting immunity for himself.

"If there are any stories you can throw our way, we can establish you as a source," said Stern, but Burkle refused.

He is a major Democratic Party fund-raiser and is a senior adviser to former President Bill Clinton. Sean (Diddy) Combs, Leonardo DiCaprio, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hillary and Bill Clinton, former Calif. Gov. Gray Davis, former Vice President Al Gore and Bundchen are just a few of his acquaintances.

A hotline to gossip about Hillary? I'm surprised Stern didn't go as far as to hold a gun to the head of the guy's dog for that.