(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) A high-ranking Disney executive overseeing ABC News operations — which is set to host possibly the only presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in September — turned out to be a donor to Harris’s campaign and her longtime friend.
The New York Times reported that Dana Walden currently serves as the co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, overseeing several of the company’s television endeavors, such as ABC News and ABC Entertainment. Walden donated to Harris’s various political campaigns in recent years.
She first met Harris in 1994, while their husbands, Matt Walden and Doug Emhoff, have known each other since the 1980s. Harris previously described Walden and her husband as “extraordinary friends.”
The Waldens started donating to Harris’s political campaigns when she ran for San Francisco District Attorney in 2003.
Additionally, they have hosted several fundraisers for Harris at their upscale Los Angeles home.
“In many ways, Dana and Matt are responsible for my marriage,” Harris said at a fundraiser held at the Waldens’ home in 2022.
ABC News disputed the idea that Dana Walden’s relationship with Harris is a clear example of a conflict of interest that could negatively impact Trump in the upcoming debate on Sept. 10, 2024. The company stated that Walden oversees 18 businesses across the vast Disney empire, is only involved in corporate matters, such as budgets and staff sizes, and is not involved in editorial decisions.
“ABC News has built its longstanding reputation on journalistic integrity. All editorial decisions are in the hands of ABC News management and the seasoned journalists and producers of ABC, who hold themselves to the highest journalistic standards,” the network said in the statement.
“Even the New York Times is calling this out. One more reason the debate with @ABC News is a set-up,” Sean Spicer of the Sean Spicer Show said.
Even the New York Times is calling this out
One more reason the debate with @ABC News is a set up
Atop ABC, a Personal Connection to Kamala Harris https://t.co/suOW27sBwP
— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) August 11, 2024
