Put it simple or put it simply

Question

Let's put it simply: If the central government wanted to "eliminate" the Dalai Lama, why has it waited for such a long time? Isn't it foolish to take action against Dalai at such an old age?

I read this in Global Times. I gave a second thought on the usage of put it simply here and suspect that put it simple would be a better choice. Am I right?

Edit: I have seen put it simple and simply put more often, which is why I asked here.

Answer 1

As simchona says, simply is an adverb modifying the verb so "put it simply" is correct.