Jeff Bezos reportedly killed Washington Post’s Kamala Harris endorsement: ‘This is cowardice’

Washington Post proprietor Jeff Bezos reportedly put nan kibosh connected nan insubstantial endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris successful nan upcoming predetermination — starring to 1 editorial committee personnel to discontinue and backlash from its left-leaning staff.

The Beltway broadsheet said Friday that it will not endorse either candidate, breaking 36 years of tradition, pursuing a “tense” newsroom, according to NPR.

The newspaper past published an article written by 2 reporters saying that editorial page staffers had drafted an endorsement for nan Democratic nominee Harris over former President Donald Trump.

“The determination not to people was made by The Post’s proprietor — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos,” The Post reported, citing 2 sources briefed connected nan events.

Publisher Will Lewis, who was hired by Bezos successful January, explained nan determination successful an online statement to readers.

“The Washington Post will not beryllium making an endorsement of a statesmanlike campaigner successful this election. Nor successful immoderate early statesmanlike election,” he wrote.

“We are returning to our roots of not endorsing statesmanlike candidates.”

Lewis’s statement went connected to say: “We admit that this will beryllium publication successful a scope of ways, including arsenic a tacit endorsement of 1 candidate, aliases arsenic a condemnation of another, aliases arsenic an abdication of responsibility. “That is inevitable. We don’t spot it that way. We spot it arsenic accordant pinch nan values The Post has ever stood for and what we dream for successful a leader: characteristic and courageousness successful work to nan American ethic, veneration for nan norm of law, and respect for quality state successful each its aspects.”

The determination led editorial committee personnel Robert Kagan, a predominant professional of Trump, to resign, according to NPR.

Bezos, nan second-richest personification successful nan world pinch a nett worth valued by Bloomberg Billionaires Index at $209 cardinal arsenic of Friday, was a predominant target of Trump during his first word successful agency — mainly owed to nan Washington Post’s sum of his administration.

Some WashPo insiders person speculated that Bezos does not want to alienate Trump arsenic he gains momentum to recapture nan White House.

Bezos has not publically weighed successful connected nan statesmanlike election.

Marty Baron, nan erstwhile editor of The Washington Post, called nan paper’s determination “cowardice, pinch populist astatine its casualty.”

″@realdonaldtrump will spot this arsenic an invitation to further intimidate proprietor @jeffbezos (and others),” Baron wrote connected X. “Disturbing spinelessness astatine an institution famed for courage.”

A akin determination to withhold endorsement by Los Angeles Times proprietor and billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong has roiled that newsroom and led to nan resignations of nan paper’s editorials editor and two editorial committee members.

The Washington Post supported Hillary Clinton successful 2016 and Joe Biden successful 2020, publishing its endorsements overmuch earlier successful past predetermination cycles.

The New York Times endorsed Harris connected Sept. 30.

The New York Post endorsed Trump connected Friday.

Lewis, who served arsenic CEO of Dow Jones and patient of The Wall Street Journal, nan related publication of The New York Post, arsenic good arsenic editor of nan London-based Telegraph, was hired to to amp up nan outlet’s blimpish readership.

Sources told NPR that Bezos hired Lewis in portion for his expertise to get on pinch powerful blimpish governmental figures, but he has truthful acold been a lightening-rod fig astatine nan paper.

In June, nan sharp-elbowed British-born media exec shook up nan ranks astatine The Post, which pushed Sally Buzbee — nan paper’s first female executive editor successful its 144-year history — to resign after a three-year tenure that was marred by deteriorating finances and readership.