Hugh Hewitt, a conservative columnist for The Washington Post, revealed that he quit the newspaper Friday after feuding with Jonathan Capehart in a live stream over Donald Trump’s election rhetoric.
“I won’t come back, Jonathan. I’m done,” said Hewitt, who tossed his headset aside and stormed off the Post’s “First Look” live show hosted by Capehart.
He continued, “This is the most unfair election ad I have ever been a part of. You guys are working. That’s fine. I’m done.”
Hewitt’s reaction arrived after Capehart asked him and Ruth Marcus, an associate editor and columnist for the Post, whether Trump was “laying the groundwork for contesting” the election following the GOP nominee’s recent Truth Social claim that Pennsylvania election officials were “cheating.”
Hewitt, who revealed that he voted for Trump last month, interrupted Marcus as she predicted the former president would “rev up his supporters to contest elections” this year and hit courts to make “whatever arguments he can no matter how farfetched.”
“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,” Hewitt told Capehart.
A Pennsylvania judge agreed on Wednesday to extend the early voting deadline in Bucks County — which lies north of Philadelphia in the battleground state — after the Trump campaign sued it over reports of long lines and voters being turned away as they waited to apply for an “on-demand” mail-in ballot.
“So yes, he’s upset about Bucks County, but he was right and he won in court. That’s the story,” said Hewitt of Trump.
Capehart, who paused before his response, said he didn’t appreciate “being lectured on reporting” when Hewitt has shared “lots of things that aren’t basic fact” on the show.
The response led to Hewitt’s meltdown and the show subsequently experienced technical difficulties before Capehart brought it to a close.
“Everybody, if you’ve been watching ‘First Look,’ you know that these conversations can be interesting, contentious,” Capehart said.
“You just saw Hugh Hewitt leave the conversation, which is lamentable, unfortunate. It is what it is.”
Hewitt, a political commentator who has contributed columns for the Post since 2017, told the newspaper’s editorial page editor David Shipley that he was leaving on Friday.
“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 in a statement.
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A spokesperson for the Post, who declined to address Hewitt’s exit with multiple outlets, 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.”