Conservative commentator Mark Levin slammed the Washington Post’s publisher for serving as the outlet’s CEO while also working on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute’s board of trustees.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute requested this weekend that the Republican National Committee and President Trump’s reelection campaign stop fundraising off of Reagan’s likeness, following an email saying Trump supporters would receive a commemorative Reagan coin if they donated at least $45 to the Trump Make America Great Again Committee.
The Washington Post’s CEO and publisher, Fred Ryan, serves as chairman of the board of trustees for the foundation, which maintains and sustains the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, prompting Levin to issue a series of tweets on the matter on Sunday.
Levin said that he worked for Reagan’s administration for eight years and “did not realize that Fred Ryan, who is now the publisher and CEO of the Washington Post is also the chairman of the Reagan Library & Foundation board.”
“Now, given the Washington Post‘s leftist agenda, and the conservative legacy of the great Ronald Reagan, this appears to me to be a huge conflict,” he said.
2. Now, given the Washington Post’s leftist agenda, and the conservative legacy of the great Ronald Reagan, this appears to me to be a huge conflict.
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) July 26, 2020
“And it also explains why the Washington Post ran a story about the Reagan Library objecting to President Trump’s use of the Reagan name for fundraising — that means Fred Ryan objected,” ostensibly referring to an opinion piece published by the Washington Post on Saturday, titled, “Reagan Foundation to Trump, RNC: Quit raising money off Ronald Reagan’s legacy.”
Levin continued, “And then I read, toward the end of the Post article, that Ryan would not comment for the article his paper wrote about the library he runs. Well, I have spent many, many years promoting the Reagan Library and Foundation, I have had many very successful book signings there.”
4. And then I read, toward the end of the Post article, that Ryan would not comment for the article his paper wrote about the library he runs Well, I have spent many, many years promoting the Reagan Library and Foundation, I have had many very successful book signings there
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) July 26, 2020
“And the purpose of the Library is to enshrine President Reagan’s fabulous conservative legacy for all time. Consequently, I am appalled that the Fred Ryan’s Washington Post and the Reagan Library under Fred Ryan’s chairmanship, would pull this publicity stunt on President Trump,” he wrote. “And I expect the thousands of Reagan alumni who worked for President Reagan share my concern. Mr. Ryan, decide who and what you want to be, but it’s obvious you cannot be both the Washington Post publisher/CEO and the Reagan Library board chairman when there’s a clear conflict.”
7.And I expect the thousands of Reagan alumni who worked for President Reagan share my concern. Mr. Ryan, decide who and what you want to be, but it’s obvious you cannot be both the Washington Post publisher/CEO and the Reagan Library board chairman when there’s a clear conflict
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) July 26, 2020
Reagan Foundation chief marketing officer Melissa Giller told Newsweek on Sunday that she and her team heard of the Reagan coin fundraiser last week and contacted the RNC to stop using the former president’s likeness in the fundraising efforts.
“We heard last week that the RNC was selling a commemorative Reagan/Trump coin,” Giller told the outlet in an email. “The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute owns the name, image, and likeness of President Reagan and they used his image for the coin without our consent. We called the RNC and asked them to cease and desist the use of President Reagan on the coin and they agreed.”
Trump also weighed in on the matter Sunday in a tweet, saying, “So the Washington Post is running the Reagan Foundation, and RINO Paul Ryan is on the Board of Fox, which has been terrible. “We will win anyway, even with the phony @FoxNews suppression polls (which have been seriously wrong for 5 years)!”
So the Washington Post is running the Reagan Foundation, and RINO Paul Ryan is on the Board of Fox, which has been terrible. We will win anyway, even with the phony @FoxNews suppression polls (which have been seriously wrong for 5 years)! https://t.co/fOi3AROxuz
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2020