(The Hill) — Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of The Washington Post, personally made the decision to kill an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president that the newspaper’s editorial board had already drafted, the outlet reported Friday.
Citing two sources it said had been briefed on the sequence of events who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, the Post reported its editorial board had drafted an endorsement of Harris that was to be published before the election.
“The decision not to publish was made by The Post’s owner — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — according to the same sources,” the newspaper reported.
NewsNation affiliate The Hill has requested further comment from the Post.
In a note to readers Friday, Post publisher Will Lewis, whom Bezos hired earlier this year after the departure of former CEO Fred Ryan, said the company anticipated the backlash it was receiving Friday.
“We recognize that this will be read in a range of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility,” Lewis wrote. “That is inevitable. We don’t see it that way. We see it as consistent with the values The Post has always stood for.”
The decision was being widely criticized Friday, with several Post staffers and outside observers blasting Bezos and Lewis for the move.
The Post has endorsed a candidate for president in every election dating back more than 30 years.