Disney exec’s close friendship with Kamala Harris under scrutiny as ABC awaits critical debate

Ahead of next month’s presidential debate on ABC News, a potential conflict of interest is raising eyebrows.

Dana Walden, a senior Disney executive whose portfolio includes ABC News, is one of Vice President Kamala Harris’ “extraordinary friends,” according to a report in the New York Times.

Walden and Harris have known each other since 1994, while their husbands, Matt Walden and Doug Emhoff, have known each other since the 1980s.

Dana Walden has donated to dozens of Democrats and contributed to Harris’ political campaigns since at least 2003, when she ran for San Francisco county attorney.

She continued to donate to her subsequent campaigns for California Attorney General and US Senate, as well as her 2020 bid for the White House.

Harris even praised Dana and Matt for her wedding in April 2022 at a fundraiser held at Walden’s Los Angeles home.

ABC told the New York Times that Walden, who is Disney’s top television executive, does not weigh in on editorial decisions.

The network’s flagship debate is set for September 10 and will be moderated by ABC anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis.

“ABC News has built its longstanding reputation on journalistic integrity,” the network said in its statement. “All editorial decisions are in the hands of ABC News management and ABC’s experienced reporters and producers, who hold themselves to the highest journalistic standards.”

Disney Entertainment said in a statement to the New York Times that Walden has not hosted a fundraiser for Harris since June 2022, when ABC News came under her responsibility, but in 2023, she donated $20,000 to support President Biden and the Party Democratic. according to public filings reported by the Times.

OpenSecrets reveals that Walden has donated extensively to Democrats across the country over the years, including Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Raphael Warnock and Cory Booker, among others.

Last month, Walden was described as a “Hollywood winner” in Harris’ rapid ascent to the de facto Democratic nomination. according to a Puck report.

Harris has extensive ties to the entertainment community, but few people “go with Harris as far as Walden, nor do they enjoy the tenure and tenure that Walden has at Disney,” the report said.

“[If there’s a Hollywood winner in her ascension it’s probably Dana Walden, the Disney TV chief,” Puck reported.

Walden is among the insider candidates who could take over as the next Disney CEO when Bob Iger’s contract expires in 2026, according to reports, and her coziness with a possible future president likely doesn’t hurt her stock.

Fox News Digital has reached out to ABC News, the Trump campaign and the Harris campaign for comment. Former President Trump is suing ABC News and George Stephanopoulos for defamation after the ABC News host said several times on air that the former president was “found liable for rape” during a March 10 interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.