Conservative radio broadcaster, author, and columnist for the Washington Post Hugh Hewitt blasted one of its op-ed columnists, Jonathan Capehart, and associate editor Ruth Marcus, another liberal columnist, before quitting his position at the outlet over its repeated mischaracterizations of former President Donald Trump. In the segment, which quickly went viral on social media. Capehart, who was hosting the WaPo podcast, claimed that Trump was angling to contest the outcome of the coming election if he loses and that a legal action his campaign took in Bucks County, Pa., this past week proves as much. Marcus agreed with Capehart and claimed that should Trump lose, he’ll do what he did following the 2020 election and go to court after court trying to overturn the results.
“Does it seem like Donald Trump is laying the groundwork for contesting the election by complaining that cheating was taking place in Pennsylvania?” Capehart asked Marcus. “By suing Bucks County for alleged irregularities, and this is on top of his continual assertion that if he loses, it’s because of cheating.” Marcus agreed, saying, “No election can be fair in Donald Trump’s mind unless Donald Trump wins it.” At one point, Hewitt attempted to intervene but Capehart jumped in, “Let her finish, Hugh.”
“Well, I’ve just got to say, we’re news people, even though it’s the opinion section,” Hewitt said. “It’s got to be reported. Bucks County was reversed by the court and instructed to open up extra days because they violated the law and told people to go home. So that lawsuit was brought by the Republican National Committee, and it was successful. The Supreme Court ruled that Glenn Youngkin was successful.”
He added: “We are news people, even though we have opinions, and we have to report the whole story if we bring up part of the story. So, yes, he’s upset about Bucks County, but he was right and he won in court. That’s the story.” After a pause of a few moments, an agitated Capehart responded, “I don’t appreciate being lectured about reporting when Hugh, many times, you’ve come here saying lots of things that aren’t based in fact.”
That apparently upset Hewitt, who took off his headset and declared: “I won’t come back, Jonathan. I’m done. I’m done. This is the most unfair election ad I’ve ever been a part of. You guys are working. That’s fine. I’m done.” Reached for comment by Fox News, a Washington Post spokesperson didn’t respond to a question about Hewitt’s exit but said, “As the newsroom’s live journalism platform, Washington Post Live is known for its dynamic conversations and thought-provoking perspectives on top issues of the day, such as this morning’s ‘First Look’ program.”
WATCH:
Another bad day for @WashingtonPost. Upset with @CapehartJ and @RuthMarcus for inaccurate attacks on Trump, @hughhewitt rips off his headset and leaves lives #PostLive show. “I’m done. This is the most unfair election ad I have ever been a part of.” Show falls apart, ends early. pic.twitter.com/fsGC1GhIrx
— Brent Baker ?? ?? (@BrentHBaker) November 1, 2024
“I have in fact quit the Post but I was only writing a column for them every six weeks or so,” Hewitt told Fox News Digital, adding he’d recently offered to write another pro-Trump column for the paper ahead of the election. He informed editorial page editor David Shipley on Friday morning. The Post was prepared to endorse Kamala Harris, as it has not supported a Republican presidential candidate since it started giving White House endorsements in 1976. However, owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos decided to withdraw the endorsement, citing the need to rebuild trust with readers who are skeptical of the media.
