Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer David Hume Kennerly on Thursday defended former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., after he resigned from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation over its refusal to consider her for its Medal for Distinguished Public Service — a snub he claims was driven by the possibility of former President Donald Trump winning this year’s presidential election.
In his letter of resignation from the Ford Foundation board as a trustee, Kennerly argued that Cheney, a vocal opponent of Trump’s, was rejected multiple times for the top award out of fear of retribution from Trump if he wins re-election.
“If the foundation that bears the name of Gerald R. Ford won’t stand up to this real threat to our democracy, who will?” Kennerly wrote in his letter, referring to a possible second presidential term for Trump.
During a Thursday interview on “Morning Joe,” Kennerly said one of the few people standing up to Trump is Cheney, arguing that she’s “the only person on this planet” who should have won the Ford Foundation’s top award.
“They’re putting out statements from the board about how the they had to not give her the award because it would threaten their tax status,” he said. “And that’s just, you know, going down the legal rabbit hole.”
Kennerly, who was Ford’s White House photographer, said he has concerns about the hold that Trump has on the Republican Party and called Cheney a “bright shining light” who has faced death threats for refusing to go along with the former president’s baseless claims of a stolen election.
“The foundation, which I’ve been on for a couple decades, is not stepping up with her. They’re giving all these excuses now,” he said.
Kennerly noted that even though Cheney has not announced a presidential campaign, the foundation asserted it could not give the top award to Cheney because it would threaten the group’s tax status, citing her past remarks raising the possibility of a presidential…
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