The Post's CEO and publisher, Will Lewis, announced Winnett's decision to withdraw in a note to staff on Thursday morning. He will stay as deputy editor of the Telegraph in London.
Several published reports had raised questions about Winnett's involvement in articles where a source was paid and information gathered through deceptive means — practices more commonplace in England but frowned upon by journalists in the United States.
As part of a reorganization that has backfired, Lewis had named Winnett, a former colleague, to take over the Post's core newsroom functions after the November election. The Post's former executive editor, Sally Buzbee, had quit rather than accept a demotion.