'Stunning, but not': Observers rip Washington Post for 'humiliating' op-ed on Trump

Observers ripped The Washington Post's editorial board on Wednesday for publishing an op-ed that they said tried to recast key parts of Special Counsel Jack Smith's criminal investigation of President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

In the editorial, the outlet's editors argued that Jack Smith was playing "hardball" with Senators by requesting their phone records. They also claimed that Smith "should not have used" the tactic to surveil the communications of Senators, some of whom were ensnarled by his sprawling investigation.

"But the mere fact that a legal tool might be available does not mean it should be used," the editorial reads in part. "The current rage over Grassley’s revelation shows why. Smith showed little restraint in his pursuit of a former president. He charged Trump for official acts he took as president. He sought a gag order to limit Trump’s ability to criticize the prosecution. He tried to accelerate the case to try a leading presidential candidate before the 2024 election."

Observers shared their responses on social media.

"I spent more than a decade at The Post. It was good to me and I was proud to work there," former Post columnist Philip Bump posted on Bluesky. "I’ve largely refrained from being critical since I left. But this framing of the special counsel probe is embarrassing and flatly wrong. Stunning, but not."

"I wrote legal editorials for the Post for a hot minute many years ago, and I was constantly anxious about making sure I got the details right," Quinta Jurecic, journalist with The Atlantic, posted on Bluesky. "This editorial is just humiliating for everyone involved."

"So Jeff Bezos and Will Lewis really are turning the Washington Post into garbage," journalist John Haywood posted on X.

"My god, the lede on this editorial is embarrassing. Kay Graham is rolling in her grave," journalist Brian Rosenwald posted on X.

"You’ve gotta be kidding me," Anna Bower, senior editor at Lawfare, posted on Bluesky. "This WaPo editorial presents a misleading revisionist history of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s criminal cases against Trump. Then it has the gall to compare that to Trump’s overt targeting of his perceived enemies. Really embarrassing stuff."

"Jack Smith was investigating Trump's efforts to overturn the election, and Trump is now prosecuting the former FBI head to settle scores," public policy professor Don Moynihan posted on Bluesky. "Apparently, these are equally bad and Smith caused Trump's retribution spree."

Read the entire editorial by clicking here.