WaPo columnist calls out Jeff Bezos' 'bulls--- explanation' on non-endorsement: 'Bending the knee' to Trump

Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin had immoderate harsh words for her paper's billionaire proprietor Jeff Bezos implicit his "bulls--- explanation" down the non-endorsement successful the 2024 statesmanlike race. 

"First of all, I bash not judge the crushed stated. I don't judge they person abruptly decided – helium has abruptly decided that we should endorse everybody but statesmanlike candidates, and that of each the elections, this is the 1 to commencement with this caller policy," Rubin began Tuesday's installment of "Jen Rubin's Green Room" podcast. "We endorsed a statesmanlike campaigner successful 2020 nary problem. And I comprehend this, and adjacent if it's not intended, it is inevitably perceived arsenic bending the genu to Donald Trump astatine the worst imaginable infinitesimal erstwhile ideology is connected the line."

"You person a billionaire who has a concern speech from The Post that does concern with the national authorities deciding not to tally afoul of a antheral who has declared warfare connected ideology and connected the escaped press, and I inactive find it perfectly inconceivable that idiosyncratic who owns a paper would bash this," Rubin continued. 

WASHINGTON POST NEWSROOM IN UPROAR OVER JEFF BEZOS' ‘TONE-DEAF’ OP-ED DEFENDING NON-ENDORSEMENT, STAFFER SAYS

Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin blasted billionaire Jeff Bezos' "bulls--- explanation" down the paper's determination to not endorse successful the 2024 statesmanlike race. (Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images)

Rubin, besides an MSNBC contributor, decried the reported 250,000 readers that person canceled their subscriptions since Friday erstwhile it was announced it would not beryllium endorsing a campaigner aft it was acceptable to backmost Vice President Kamala Harris.

"How could you not recognize what The Washington Post means to the public?" Rubin asked Bezos. "We are not lone a reliable root of news, but radical look to america due to the fact that they attraction what we deliberation connected the sentiment side. They privation to person immoderate motivation clarity. They privation to person immoderate governmental clarity. And depriving them of that severs a enslaved and a level of spot that has been built up implicit decades. And it breaks my bosom to work these emails expressing their emotion for the insubstantial and frankly, for my ain work, but saying they cannot successful bully conscience proceed to subscribe. How could you not recognize the harm to the brand, what you were dealing with, what you were entrusted with, erstwhile you marque a determination similar that?"

"I americium arsenic troubled by the information that the crushed fixed was not candid, was not accurate. Why messiness astir if you say, 'Hey, I'm a businessman. I don't privation to endorse anyone due to the fact that I don't privation to impact those businesses.' Yeah, everyone volition beryllium aghast, but astatine slightest you'd beryllium honest. At slightest you'd beryllium taking responsibility. When a paper is forced to beforehand a bulls--- explanation, however overmuch much harm does that bash to The Washington Post? But the occupation goes good beyond Jeff Bezos and the Washington Post, it goes beyond the LA Times. It goes beyond USA Today. This is simply a substance of however escaped societies support themselves against fascist threats," she continued. 

JEFF BEZOS ADDRESSES WASHINGTON POST ENDORSEMENT FIASCO, CITES DISTRUST IN MEDIA LED TO ‘PRINCIPLED DECISION’

Washington Post proprietor Jeff Bezos fueled uproar successful his paper's newsroom with his op-ed defending the "principled decision" to extremity statesmanlike endorsements.  ((Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Rubin, who antecedently joined much than 20 columnist colleagues denouncing the paper's decision, went connected to impeach Bezos of "self-censorship" and "obedience successful advance," calling it a "horrible precedent" to "pull their punches" and that it volition let "fascist forces" to power the press. 

"And if you're a billionaire and you can't bash it, you can't basal up to power, however bash you deliberation tiny businesses, How bash you deliberation mean people, however bash you deliberation civilian nine is gonna react?" Rubin asked. "They, too, are gonna genuflect adjacent earlier they're told to successful bid to support the king happy. Now, successful the large strategy of things, beingness volition spell on. The Washington Post volition proceed to publish. Hopefully we'll person much elections, hopefully Kamala Harris volition win. But arsenic for me, I tin accidental this has affected maine successful immoderate truly important ways… And arsenic a result, I volition beryllium adjacent much cautious successful what I constitute and accidental – not cautious successful the consciousness of pulling my punches, but deliberate, well-thought-out due to the fact that are listening and radical attraction and radical wage attention. That is simply a immense responsibility, and I'm truly gladsome I was reminded of it this week."

The Washington Post did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for comment. 

WAPO STAFFER UNSURE PAPER CAN RECOVER AS BEZOS-OWNED OUTLET SHEDS 250,000 SUBSCRIBERS OVER ENDORSEMENT FIASCO

Rubin accused Bezos of "bending the knee" to erstwhile President Trump with the endorsement move, calling it "obedience successful advance" that volition let "fascist forces" to power the press. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The cardinal statement of Bezos' op-ed was the wide distrust Americans person successful the bequest media. 

"We indispensable beryllium accurate, and we indispensable beryllium believed to beryllium accurate. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but we are failing connected the 2nd requirement," Bezos wrote connected Monday. "Most radical judge the media is biased. Anyone who doesn’t spot this is paying scant attraction to reality, and those who combat world lose. Reality is an undefeated champion. It would beryllium casual to blasted others for our agelong and continuing autumn successful credibility (and, therefore, diminution successful impact), but a unfortunate mentality volition not help. Complaining is not a strategy. We indispensable enactment harder to power what we tin power to summation our credibility."

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That, however, didn't resonate good successful the Washington Post newsroom. 

"Terrible. Whole newsroom successful uproar implicit it. Tone-deaf and ill-informed," 1 staffer reacted to Fox News Digital.