Jeff Bezos reportedly killed the Washington Post’s Kamala Harris endorsement

The Washington Post’s editorial leafage had drafted an endorsement of Kamala Harris for president erstwhile its owner, Amazon laminitis Jeff Bezos, intervened to cancel its publication, The Washington Post reports. In its place, The Post ran a bizarre file by its existent steadfast (and erstwhile Rupert Murdoch henchman) Will Lewis, saying The Post would not endorse anyone.

In his editorial, Lewis cited the Post’s determination not to people an endorsement successful the contention betwixt John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon successful 1960. Nixon would aboriginal beryllium implicated successful the Watergate scandal, which generated 69 indictments and 48 transgression convictions successful one of the biggest governmental corruption scandals successful American history.

“We admit that this volition beryllium work successful a scope of ways, including arsenic a tacit endorsement of 1 candidate, oregon arsenic a condemnation of another, oregon arsenic an abdication of responsibility,” Lewis wrote. (It is unclear who the “we” is, here. Lewis? Lewis and Bezos? Some concealed 3rd group?) “That is inevitable. We don’t spot it that way. We spot it arsenic accordant with the values The Post has ever stood for and what we anticipation for successful a leader: quality and courageousness successful work to the American ethic, veneration for the regularisation of law, and respect for quality state successful each its aspects.”

This is present the 2nd American newspaper, aft The Los Angeles Times, to termination a Harris endorsement astatine the owner’s behest. Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong likewise blocked a planned endorsement, prompting the newspaper’s editorials exertion to resign successful protest.

The Post’s national says it is “deeply concerned” that the insubstantial would bash this conscionable 11 days earlier a “immensely consequential” election. “The connection from our main executive, Will Lewis — not from the Editorial Board itself — makes america acrophobic that absorption has interfered with the enactment of our members successful Editorial.” Readers are already canceling subscriptions, the connection notes. Neoconservative student Robert Kagan resigned his presumption arsenic editor-at-large, according to Semafor’s Max Tani.

The Washington Post, which bears the motto “Democracy Dies successful Darkness,” published endorsements of candidates for Virginia’s 7th territory connected Oct. 13 and for senate successful Maryland connected Oct. 2. It has routinely published investigations into Donald Trump that allege wrongdoing and amerciable behavior.

Two Washington Post board members, Charles Lane and Stephen W. Stromberg, wrote the Harris endorsement, according to The Columbia Journalism Review. David Shipley, the editorial leafage director, told unit the endorsement was “on track, adding that ‘this is evidently thing our proprietor has an involvement in,’” according to The CJR. Today, Shipley told the committee determination would beryllium nary endorsement. That was followed by Lewis’s peculiar editorial.

“This is cowardice, a infinitesimal of acheronian that volition permission ideology arsenic a casualty,” said Marty Baron, the erstwhile Washington Post enforcement editor, successful a substance connection to the Post. “Donald Trump volition observe this arsenic an invitation to further intimidate The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos (and different media owners). History volition people a disturbing section of spinelessness astatine an instauration famed for courage.”