‘I’m Done!’ Washington Post Live Goes Off the Rails As Hugh Hewitt Walks Off After Brawl With Jon Capehart

The Washington Post’s live show First Look was derailed on Friday after conservative columnist Hugh Hewitt walked off after a jibe from host Jonathan Capehart accusing him of “saying lots of things that aren’t basic fact.”

Hewitt and the newspaper’s Deputy Editorial Page Editor Ruth Marcus joined Capehart to discuss the election when the host asked whether former President Donald Trump was “laying the groundwork for contesting” the wider result by “suing Bucks County [in Pennsylvania] for alleged irregularities.”

On Wednesday a Pennsylvania judge extended in-person voting in suburban Philadelphia after a Trump campaign lawsuit. The campaign, joined by the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Senate candidate Dave McCormick, claimed voters faced disenfranchisement from unprepared election offices.

Marcus agreed with Capehart that the Republican nominee was trying to “rev up his supporters to contest elections” and that he’d been “laying the groundwork” for the “last umpty-yump months.”

Hewitt interrupted to dispute the idea, arguing that the judge had agreed with Trump: “Jon, I’ve got to speak up. I’ve just got to say, we’re news people, even though we’re at the Opinion Section. It’s got to be reported. Bucks County was reversed by the court and instructed to open up extra days because they violated the law and told people to go home. So that lawsuit was by the Republican National Committee, and it was successful. The Supreme Court ruled that Glenn Youngkin was successful.”

He added: “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. So yes, he’s upset about Bucks County, but he was right and he won in court. That’s the story.”

Capehart, in response, paused before hitting out at Hewitt: “No, I just don’t appreciate being lectured about reporting when, Hugh, many times you come here saying lots of things that aren’t basic fact.”

“I will not come back, Jonathan. How’s that? I’m done. This is the most unfair election ad I have ever been a part of. You guys are working. That’s fine. I’m done,” shot back a furious Hewitt.

Ripping off his headset, Hewitt exited the show, leaving his camera running.

Capehart, smiling, turned to Marcus: “So, Ruth, you wrote a column this week ending with this line…”

“And actually, I think this is perfect,” he added, in a further shot at Hewitt. “We’re going to put it on the screen. You wrote: ‘You want to know the stakes of this election, not only democracy, but decency.’ Talk more about that, Ruth.”

Marcus began: “OK, I’m collecting myself – ”

Marcus’s line then also cut out.

Capehart noted: “Oh, Ruth froze. Ruth is frozen. hang in there, everyone. We’re going to see if we can try to get Ruth back to this. We’re going to get Ruth back in a moment.”

For one moment Marcus’s line returned before freezing again.

Defeated, Capehart said: “OK, we lost her again. Everybody, if you’ve been watching First Look, you know that these conversations can be interesting, contentious. You just saw Hugh Hewitt leave the conversation, which is lamentable, unfortunate. It is what it is.”

Signing off Capehart thanked the audience adding that if they wanted “more of these important conversations” to subscribe to the Washington Post.