David Hume Kennerly resigned in protest from the Gerald R. Ford Foundation.
Kennerly
It did not dare give its award for political courage to Liz Cheney.
“I can’t in good conscience stay on the board of an organization representing Gerald R. Ford that doesn’t manifest his kind of guts. It’s now a place whose leadership is cowed by a demagogue creating and promulgating the greatest crisis our country has faced since the Civil War.
David Kennerly, winner of the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for his photographs of the Vietnam War, and close friend of Gerald and Betty Ford, resigned from the Gerald R. Ford Foundation board. He said the foundation made implausible excuses not to give its annual award to Liz Cheney. The award is given to a person who shows strength of character, sound judgment, and decisiveness "particularly during periods of crisis," and determination "in the face of adversity."
Kennerly said that Liz Cheney "checked all the boxes" and was the obvious choice.
He said the foundation grew "chicken" in the face of Trump's domination of the GOP, and that the foundation feared retribution from Donald Trump if he returns to the White House. Liz Cheney is persona non grata within the GOP for calling out Trump's effort to overthrow the 2020 election.
David Kennerly became internationally famous as a photographer for UPI, Life Magazine, Time Magazine, and as the in-house photographer of Gerald Ford during his presidency. Kennerly was born in Roseburg, Oregon, and his first published photograph was at age 15 in the Roseburg high school newspaper.
I met Kennerly In 2015. He and I attended a small outdoor event for Chris Christie in New Hampshire while Christie competed for the Republican nomination for president. Kennerly took this photo. Somehow both Christie and I, plus Christie's wife Mary Pat, who is standing well behind us, are all in focus.
President Gerald Ford's pardon of Nixon in 1974 was controversial at the time and remains so. Ford knew it would hurt his chances of election in 1976. Ford took the political hit in order to put the "long national nightmare" behind us. The foundation's annual award for courage honors similar acts of sacrificial courage.
The foundation's executive director responded by saying that he was afraid that giving an award to a person who could possibly run for president as a "No Labels" candidate might cause problems for the foundation with the IRS.
Kennerly called that a "fig leaf." Kennerly said the real reason is that the foundation was afraid of Trump. In a letter to the foundation, he said:
A key reason Liz’s nomination was turned down was your agita about what might happen if the former president is reelected. Some of you raised the specter of being attacked by the Internal Revenue Service and losing the foundation’s tax-exempt status as retribution for selecting Liz for the award.
The historical irony was completely lost on you. Gerald Ford became president, in part, because Richard Nixon had ordered the development of an enemies list and demanded his underlings use the IRS against those listed. That’s exactly what the executive committee fears will happen if there’s a second coming of Donald Trump.
Trump has said he would end the independent Civil Service and replace "career" people in the departments, including the IRS, with Trump loyalists. Kennerly said the foundation was ducking for cover, but, in doing so, was enabling and empowering Trump.
Those of you who rejected Liz join many "good Republicans" now aiding and abetting our 45th president by ignoring the genuine menace he presents to our country.
During the Watergate hearings and investigations of President Nixon, there was a body of "good Republicans" who wanted to examine and act upon the facts. "What did the president know, and when did he know it?" was a question both Democrats and Republicans asked. The American constitutional system of checks and balances depends upon people willing to hold their own party members up to the bright light of facts and the law.
Trump brought the GOP to heel, and that accountability is missing now within the GOP. The country is worse because of it.
Just look what DT has done to this country. Elected because of his reality show the Apprentice there’s a cult of people who repeat his lies & spreads his hate. As Mary Trump reveals, “he’s still a 3 yr old throwing fits.” Now, the gop is a failed party of traitors to our country who’s only goal now is to destroy our country.