New York (CNN) 鈥� One day after The Washington Post announced it a presidential candidate in this year鈥檚 election or in the future, its billionaire owner remains silent as the newspaper鈥檚 staff are in turmoil.
Jeff Bezos has so far declined to comment on the situation, even as journalists reported that it was Bezos who ultimately spiked the planned endorsement. A source with knowledge told CNN on Friday that聽an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris had been drafted before it was squashed.
In the last聽24聽hours, at least one聽editor聽has resigned, and high-profile Post聽staffers聽have publicly expressed their dismay as many in聽the paper鈥檚聽Opinion section聽are聽furious聽over how the situation was handled.
For many current and former staffers of the聽venerable newspaper, the timing of the announcement was highly suspect and has led them to believe Bezos鈥檚 business interests influenced the decision.
Former Post executive editor Marty Baron, who led the paper聽under Bezos聽during the first Trump administration called the decision an act of 鈥渃owardice.鈥�
鈥淭o declare a moment聽of high principle, only 11 days聽before the election that is just highly suspect that is just not聽to be believed that this was a聽matter of principle at this聽point,鈥� Baron told CNN鈥檚 Michael Smerconish on Saturday morning.
Trump has threatened Bezos 鈥渃ontinually,鈥� Baron noted. But when Baron was in charge of the聽newspaper,聽Bezos 鈥渞esisted that pressure鈥� and he was 鈥減roud鈥� and 鈥済rateful鈥� for that leadership.
鈥淏ezos has other聽commercial interests, a big stake and聽Amazon, he has a space company called Blue Origin,鈥� Baron said. 鈥淭rump has聽threatened to pursue his聽political enemies and he聽rewards his friends and he聽punishes his perceived聽political and think聽there鈥檚 no other explanation聽for what鈥檚 happening right now.鈥�
Baron said聽Post聽publisher Will Lewis鈥檚聽defense of the non-endorsement聽was聽鈥渓aughable,鈥澛爊oting that the Post has endorsed in other races.
鈥淚f their聽philosophy is readers can make聽up their own minds on the big聽issues that they face in this democracy, then聽don鈥檛 run any editorials,鈥� Baron said. 鈥淏ut the fact is they only decided聽not to run an editorial in this聽one instance 11 days before the聽election.鈥�
In a statement to CNN on Saturday, Lewis pushed back on reports about Bezos鈥檚 role in the endorsement decision.
鈥淩eporting around the role of The Washington Post owner and the decision not to publish a presidential endorsement has been inaccurate,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淗e was not sent, did not read and did not opine on any draft. As Publisher, I do not believe in presidential endorsements. We are an independent newspaper and should support our readers鈥� ability to make up their own minds.鈥�
Several current Post journalists told CNN they have no problem with the editorial board not endorsing in any situation, with some actively agreeing with the decision. But they all found the timing聽of the聽announcement聽extremely聽troubling.
鈥淒eciding that now, right before an election, puts us in a lose-lose position:聽cowards for caving, or whining over not endorsing Harris, which the Trump campaign is already trying to use to undermine us,鈥� one聽Post聽journalist told CNN. Another told CNN that 鈥減eople are angry and聽feel聽like senior managers are undermining the journalism.鈥�
Others expressed deep concern that a wave of readers聽reacting to the news聽have cancelled their聽subscriptions, something that will directly impact the newsroom鈥檚 ability to function.
Robert Kagan, a Post columnist聽and opinion editor-at-large聽who had been with the paper for 25 years, publicly resigned on Friday as a direct result of the non-endorsement.
鈥淭his is obviously an effort by Jeff Bezos to curry favor with Donald Trump in the anticipation of his possible victory,鈥� Kagan聽told CNN鈥檚 Erin Burnett OutFront on Friday. 鈥淭rump has threatened to go after Bezos鈥� business. Bezos runs one of the largest companies in America. They have tremendously intricate relations with federal government. They depend on the federal government.鈥�
On Friday,聽Trump met with聽, the space exploration company owned by Bezos, hours after the Post announced its decision Friday. The company has a聽聽with the federal government to build a new spacecraft to transport astronauts to and from the moon鈥檚 surface.
Trump advisers and supporters have been crowing since both the Post聽and聽the Los Angeles Times鈥� billionaire owners 聽to聽prevent their papers from endorsing Harris.
A post on X by a Post reporter noting that Trump met with Blue Origin executives the same day the Post declined to endorse Harris was聽聽by Trump spokesman Steven Cheung along with聽multiple聽鈥渓ove鈥� emojis.
Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller also pounced on the non-endorsement,聽: 鈥淵ou know the Kamala campaign is sinking when even the Washington Post refuses to endorse.鈥�
Earlier in the week, the Trump campaign used the Los Angeles Times鈥� in a fundraising email, calling it a 鈥渉umiliating blow鈥� for Harris.
Other staffers said the decision not to endorse will ultimately harm American democracy, even though Lewis claimed in his note to readers that the聽move聽should not be seen as a 鈥渢acit聽endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another.鈥�
In a joint statement, legendary Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame called the decision聽鈥渟urprising and disappointing,鈥澛爊oting the timing of the announcement 鈥渋gnores the Washington Post鈥檚 own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy.鈥�
A group of 17聽Post opinion columnists聽also聽published聽聽Friday evening, criticizing their own newspaper鈥檚 decision not to endorse a candidate in the presidential election as a 鈥渢errible mistake.鈥�
鈥淭he Washington Post鈥檚 decision not to make an endorsement in the presidential campaign is a terrible mistake,鈥� they wrote. 鈥淚t represents an abandonment of the fundamental editorial convictions of the newspaper that we love, and for which we have worked a combined 218 years.鈥�
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