Incoming British journalist hired by Washington Post as top editor won't take job amid controversy

Robert Winnett, the Incoming British journalist hired by Washington Post to become editor won't take job amid controversy about his previous journalistic work, the newspaper announced Friday.

Winnett will remain at the Daily Telegraph in London, according to a memo obtained by The Post.

Winnett, deputy editor of London’s Telegraph Media Group, did not respond to a request for comment.

Post CEO and publisher Will Lewis confirmed that Winnett had withdrawn from the position, the newspaper also reports.

The controversy emerged after the abrupt exit of Post executive editor Sally Buzbee, amid the newspaper having lost $77 million last year.

The announcement that Winnett won't take the job came amid days of turmoil at The Post, the result of questions about his and Lewis' journalism ethics, with London newsrooms operating under different rules than their U.S. counterparts.

A Post investigation found Winnett’s connections to a whistleblower who has admitted using illegal methods to gain information for stories in Britain’s Sunday Times, a paper where Winnett worked before joining the Telegraph.

In addition, The New York Times reported Winnett and Lewis based some stories on stolen records, and renewed questions about a payment made to obtain information, the Post also reports.