A Pulitzer Prize winner has resigned from the board of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation in protest of the group’s decision to exclude former Representative Liz Cheney from receiving the prestigious Gerald R. Ford Medal of Distinguished Public Service. David Hume Kennerly, renowned for his photography during the Vietnam War and as the chief White House photographer for Mr. Ford, expressed disappointment in the foundation’s choice.
In his resignation letter, obtained by The New York Times and initially reported by Politico, Mr. Kennerly argued that Liz Cheney, a vocal critic of Donald J. Trump within the Republican Party, deserved recognition for her efforts in responding to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He praised her for defending the Constitution and democratic values.
Mr. Kennerly, a board member since the early 2000s, nominated Ms. Cheney for the medal last year and urged the foundation to reconsider her this year, highlighting her role as a board member as well. He criticized the foundation’s concerns about potential repercussions if Trump were to return to office, suggesting that this influenced the decision to overlook Cheney for the award.
However, Gleaves Whitney, the executive director of the Ford Presidential Foundation, provided a different explanation. He stated that Cheney’s rumored consideration for a third-party presidential candidacy raised concerns about the foundation making a political statement by awarding her the medal during an election cycle.
Ms. Cheney, the top Republican on the committee investigating the January 6 attack, has faced backlash from Trump and his supporters for her opposition to the former president. Despite her ouster from her House district in Wyoming during the 2022 Republican primary, she continues to stand by her convictions.
David Hume Kennerly accused those who rejected Cheney for the award of appeasing Trump and ignoring the values that Gerald Ford, the medal’s namesake, stood for. He emphasized that Ford would not have succumbed to such pressures and called out the foundation for its decision.
