Speaking with MSNBC host Jen Psaki on Sunday, longtime political strategist James Carville veered swiftly from attacking House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to calling out the editorial page editor of the Washington Post for covering for owner Jeff Bezos by shooting down an unflattering cartoon.
After calling lawmaker Johnson a 'bald-faced liar," Carville brought up the WaPo controversy that exploded when Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes announced she had quit her job with the paper after 16 years because op-ed editor David Shipley spiked her latest piece of work.
As the New York Times reported, the cartoon depicted, "The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos, genuflecting toward a statue of President-elect Donald J. Trump."
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After the controversy went viral, Shipley released a statement explaining, "Not every editorial judgment is a reflection of a malign force. My decision was guided by the fact that we had just published a column on the same topic as the cartoon and had already scheduled another column — this one a satire — for publication. The only bias was against repetition.”
Appearing on MSNBC, the always outspoken Carville was not buying it.
'Let's be very forceful and let's be very upfront here ...the billionaire class in this country has exercised such power that they got rid of the cartoonists at the Washington Post, okay?" he told the host. "They are having editorial sway over a cartoon that runs. I grew up with Conrad, Herblock, studied Thomas Nast."
"What David Shipley, what happened under his watch is a disgrace to journalism in America, I don't know how that guy could possibly get up in the morning," he added.
The Washington Post, particularly the editorial page, has been under attack from readers after owner Jeff Bezos reportedly killed an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris right before the election which led to a substantial reader exodus.reader exodus.
You can watch Carville below or at the link::
- YouTube youtu.be
