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Former WaPo editor reveals 'proof' of Trump’s 'backroom deal' with Amazon founder: report

Guardian

Bezos faces criticism after executives met with Trump on day of Post’s non-endorsement

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Ilya Somin

Center for American Progress

"We are confident that the fair-minded Supreme Court will unanimously affirm the civil rights of President Trump, and the voting rights of all Americans."

"[T]he legal arguments against disqualification are ultimately unsound, and most are very weak."

"[M]y bet is that... even the liberal justices will lean toward allowing voters to decide whether Trump is fit to be president."

Barring Trump from public office "would be the mildest of punishments."

The Jan. 6 riot "is something that could disqualify him, under our rules, and under the constitution."

"The former president's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and the resulting attack on the US Capitol, place him squarely within the ambit of the disqualification clause."

"[A] plain and fair reading of Section 3... demonstrates that Trump is constitutionally disqualified from holding future public office."

"I think it's really actually very clearcut... [Section 3 is] in general language, and so it applies to anyone who incites an insurrection or rebellion."

Will Donald Trump Be Disqualified From Holding the Presidency?

Robert Kagan, Washington Post editor-at-large who resigned on Friday following the paper's decision not to endorse any candidate in the US presidential election, has alleged that the paper's owner, Jeff Bezos, struck a secret deal with Donald Trump to drop its planned endorsement of Kamala Harris.

New York Post

According to Kagan, Trump met with executives at Blue Origin – Bezos' space exploration company – after The Post's announcement and "set up this quid pro quo" to kill the plan to support Harris as well as end The Post's decades-long practice of endorsing presidential candidates.

Kagan said Trump "waited to make sure that Bezos did what he said he was going to do, and then met with the Blue Origin people."  The decision comes less than two weeks before US voters go to the polls to elect their next president.

A vocal Trump critic, Kagan added that The Post's decision to pull the Harris endorsement had "been in the works for some time." However, a spokeswoman for The Post said that ending presidential endorsements was a "Washington Post decision."

The Daily Beast

The New York Times

Will Lewis, The Post's publisher, has denied that Bezos "was not sent, did not read and did not opine on any draft" about the presidential endorsement, adding that the paper trusts in its "readers' ability to make up their own minds."

Bezos' Blue Origin has a $3.4B contract with the federal government to build "a human landing system as NASA's second provider to deliver Artemis astronauts to the lunar surface."

Biden NASA

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Former Washington Post editor-at-large Robert Kagan resigned following the non-endorsement decision and alleged a quid pro quo agreement between Bezos and Donald Trump to prevent the paper from endorsing Kamala Harris.

New York Post #4727

Kagan pointed to a meeting between Trump and executives from Bezos' Blue Origin space company on the same day as the non-endorsement announcement as evidence of the alleged deal.

The decision not to endorse a candidate has led to significant backlash, including criticism from former and current employees, as well as a reported 2,000 subscription cancellations within 24 hours.

Washington Post publisher Will Lewis defended the decision, claiming it was his own and not influenced by Bezos, stating that he does not believe in presidential endorsements.

The controversy has raised concerns about potential self-censorship in media and the influence of corporate interests on journalistic independence, particularly in the context of the upcoming presidential election.

The Washington Post's decision to refrain from endorsing a presidential candidate is a step towards true journalistic neutrality. It allows readers to form their own opinions without undue influence from the paper. The allegations of a quid pro quo are baseless and ignore the publisher's stated reasons for the decision.

Ex-WaPo editor claims Jeff Bezos colluded with Trump to kill Harris endorsement: ‘Quid-pro-quo’

US Electoral System Overview

US Election: Trump v. Harris Pledges

Bezos-Trump Deal Alleged in WaPo Endorsement Controversy

Media

Politics

United States of America

The decision not to endorse a candidate is a cowardly move that undermines democracy. It's a clear example of corporate interests bowing to political pressure, potentially sacrificing journalistic integrity for financial gain. This sets a dangerous precedent for media self-censorship and could further erode press freedom.

Furor over Washington Post’s decision to not endorse presidential candidate: ‘Stab in the back’, ‘dying in darkness’

Huffington Post

Opinion: For Newspapers, No Endorsement Is Absolutely An Endorsement

The Washington Post's decision to refrain from endorsing a presidential candidate is a step toward true journalistic neutrality. It allows readers to form their own opinions without undue influence from the paper. The allegations of a quid pro quo are baseless and ignore the publisher's stated reasons for the decision.

Breitbart

In uncertain US election, two prestige papers refuse to pick sides

World News

US election: Why did LA Times, Washington Post skip candidate endorsement?

There's a 4% chance that Jeff Bezos will hold major political office in the US before February 2033, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Ex-WaPo Editor Claims Bezos Struck 'Quid-Pro-Quo' Deal with Trump

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