Former Washington Post editor Robert Kagan resigned on Friday following a controversial decision by the newspaper to withhold its planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
Kagan accused the paper's billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, of striking a secret deal with former President Donald Trump, leading to the decision to drop the endorsement. The situation echoed a similar stance taken by another major publication, The Los Angeles Times, which also chose not to endorse Harris, sparking controversy and several staff resignations. Kagan alleged that Bezos, who owns The Washington Post and Amazon, took action to block the endorsement to stay in Trump's good graces, potentially influencing the election outcome.
Kagan pointed to a meeting between Trump and executives from Bezos's space venture, Blue Origin, which he claims played a role in the decision. The result was The Washington Post becoming the second major newspaper this year to choose not to endorse a candidate, a move that drew backlash from readers and journalists. In just 24 hours after the announcement, 2,000 readers canceled their subscriptions, reflecting dissatisfaction with the paper’s stance.
The former editor-at-large, known for being a vocal critic of Trump, suggested that there was a "quid pro quo" arrangement, meaning Bezos or his representatives communicated directly with Trump to strike a deal. Kagan claimed this alleged arrangement had been in development .