Washington: Veteran Washington Post cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned Friday after her latest cartoon, which depicted media executives, including Post owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, bowing to US President-elect Donald Trump, was rejected by her editor.

According to Anadolu Agency, Telnaes shared a draft sketch of the cartoon on Substack, expressing her frustration by stating: "As an editorial cartoonist, my job is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable. For the first time, my editor prevented me from doing that critical job." She further emphasized her stance by quoting the Post's motto, "Democracy dies in darkness," a phrase that has been prominently featured on the newspaper's front page since February 2017, shortly after Trump began his first term in office.

The cartoon in question was a critique of billionaires, including Bezos, for allegedly seeking government contracts and deregulation through their alignment with Trump. This criticism comes amid recent reports of Bezos and other media executives meeting with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort, which has sparked concerns about their proximity to political power.

David Shipley, the Post's editorial page editor, defended the decision to reject the cartoon, citing concerns over "repetition" due to the publication of similar opinion pieces. Despite the controversy, the Washington Post has not issued any further comments on the matter.

In a statement, a group supporting Telnaes remarked, "Tyranny ends at pen point. It thrives in the dark, and the Washington Post simply closed its eyes and gave in like a punch-drunk boxer," highlighting the tension between editorial freedom and corporate interests.