Longtime Washington Post columnist Hugh Hewitt is leaving the paper

Longtime Washington Post columnist Hugh Hewitt left the newspaper on Friday, he told Fox News Digital.

Hewitt, a conservative who hosts a nationally syndicated radio show, has been a columnist for the newspaper since 2017 and has written hundreds of articles.

“I actually left the Post, but I was only writing a column for them about every six weeks,” Hewitt told Fox News Digital, adding that he recently offered to write another pro-Trump column for the paper in advance to write choice. He informed editorial page editor David Shipley on Friday morning.

His latest piece was published on Tuesday. He called on the MAGA movement to evolve if Trump is elected president again. He was a rare pro-Trump voice at the liberal newspaper, whose opinion list and editorial board leans heavily to the left, but his pieces touched on a wide range of topics.

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Hewitt resigned after a clip of him leaving the Washington Post's online “First Look” program on its “Washington Post Live” platform along with liberal columnists Jonathan Capehart and Ruth Marcus went viral on Friday. It came during a discussion about former President Trump's rhetoric on election integrity.

“Does it look like Donald Trump is laying the groundwork for challenging the election by complaining that there was fraud in Pennsylvania?” Capehart asked Marcus. “By suing Bucks County for alleged irregularities, in addition to his constant assertion that when he loses, it is due to fraud.”

Marcus said Trump had been preparing for months to attribute an election defeat to fraud.

“No election can be fair for Donald Trump unless Donald Trump wins it,” Marcus said.

As Marcus continued, Hewitt tried to intervene, but Capehart snapped, “Let Ruth finish, Hugh.”

“Well, I just have to say, we're news people, even if it's in the opinion section,” Hewitt said. “It needs to be reported. Bucks County was overturned by the court and ordered to grant extra days for breaking the law and telling people to go home. So this lawsuit was filed by the Republican National Committee and was successful. The Supreme Court decided this [Virginia Gov.] Glenn Youngkin was successful.”

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Former President Trump speaks during the Turning Point “United for Change” rally on October 24 in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“We are news people, even though we have opinions, and we must report the entire story when we bring up a part of the story,” Hewitt added. “So yes, he’s upset with Bucks County, but he was right and he won in court. That’s the story.”

After a brief pause, Capehart said, “I don't appreciate being lectured about reporting when you, Hugh, have come here many times and said things that aren't based on facts.”

Hewitt stood up and said, “I won’t come back, Jonathan. I'm done. I'm done. This is the most unfair election campaign I have ever taken part in. You work. That's okay. “I'm done.”

With that, he walked away, leaving a blank corner of the screen as Capehart returned to Marcus to talk about her column in which he said the election was about democracy and “decency.”

But then Marcus' screen froze and further technical difficulties derailed the show.

A Washington Post spokesman reached for comment did not 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 important U.S. issues every day, such as the “First Look” program this morning.”

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Conservative radio presenter Hugh Hewitt. (Getty Images)

Hewitt's departure from the post follows owner Jeff Bezos' decision not to support a candidate for president this year. The Post's abandonment sparked uproar among employees and readers, leading to resignations and hundreds of thousands of canceled subscriptions.

Bezos has also reportedly called for more conservative opinion writers to be installed, so Hewitt's departure deals a blow to that goal.

The Post was set to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris — it has not endorsed a Republican for president since it began offering regular endorsements to the White House in 1976 — before Bezos pulled the plug, citing efforts to gain the trust of readers skeptical of the media , to restore.

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Hewitt was not a regular columnist for the newspaper and had only written seven articles for the Post in 2024, after writing 48 articles for the Post alone in 2023.