The political landscape in America has drastically changed over the past month.
Now that Joe Biden has stepped aside it’s time for Kamala Harris to take the reins on the debate stage.
But Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’ first Presidential debate is already under protest over this major conflict of interest.
Conflict of interest looms large
ABC News is slated to host the first Presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris next month, but a potential conflict of interest is raising serious concerns.
One of Kamala’s “extraordinary friends” just happens to be a woman named Dana Walden, a senior Disney executive whose portfolio includes ABC News.
The information comes from a report in the New York Times, which also pointed out that the two women have known each other since 1994.
Their husbands, Matt Walden and Doug Emhoff, are also friends who have known each other since the 1980s.
Not only do the two women share a friendship, but Walden has also donated to dozens of Democrats, and has personally contributed to Kamala’s political campaigns since at least 2003, when she ran for San Francisco district attorney.
Walden also donated to Kamala’s campaigns for California Attorney General and the U.S. Senate, as well as her disastrous first bid for the White House in 2020.
Even more telling is that Kamala credited Dana and her husband for her marriage at a fundraiser in 2022, which was hosted at the Waldens’ Los Angeles home.
When speaking to the New York Times, the network said that Walden, Disney’s highest-ranking television executive, doesn’t have any say on editorial decisions.
The primetime debate is currently scheduled for September 10 with ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis serving as moderators.Â
“ABC News has built its longstanding reputation on journalistic integrity,” the network claimed in a statement. “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.”
One can only begin to imagine the outrage, scrutiny, and contempt if the debate were to be aired on X or Truth Social instead.
Disney defends Walden’s involvement
It’s not just ABC going to bat to defend the relationship between Walden and Kamala.
In a statement to the New York Times, Disney Entertainment said that Walden had not hosted a fundraiser for Kamala since 2022.
That’s around the same time that ABC News came under Walden’s scope of responsibility.
However, Walden did donate $20,000 to President Joe Biden and the Democrat Party, according to public filings reported by The Times.
Walden has also donated to several other big-name Democrats including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and Senators Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Corey Booker (D-NJ) to name a few.
She was described as a “Hollywood winner” last month, according to a Puck report, which stated few in Hollywood “go as far back with Harris as Walden does, nor do they enjoy the perch and purview Walden does at Disney.”
The report noted, “If there’s a Hollywood winner in her [Kamala’s] ascension it’s probably Dana Walden, the Disney TV chief.”
US Political Daily will keep you updated on any developments to this ongoing story.
