The moderators of the first presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia Tuesday night are getting their fair share of criticism after injecting themselves into the conversation.
Trump surrogates and Trump himself argue it was a 3-1 debate as ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis repeatedly "fact-checked" his statements while allowing Harris to run free with a number of wildly false and previously debunked claims.
But the conflict doesn't stop with the moderators. Disney executive Dana Walden, who also oversees ABC News, is close to Harris and introduced her to Doug Emhoff — her husband and the Second Gentleman. From The New York Times:
"ABC News, the host of next month’s high-stakes presidential debate, falls under the purview of a top corporate executive at Disney who happens to be longtime friends with the Democratic nominee.
The executive, Dana Walden, first met Kamala Harris in 1994. Their husbands, Matt Walden and Doug Emhoff, have known each other since the 1980s. The Waldens — “extraordinary friends,” per the vice president — have donated money to Ms. Harris’s political campaigns since at least 2003, when she ran for district attorney in San Francisco.
“In many ways, Dana and Matt are responsible for my marriage,” Ms. Harris joked at a fund-raiser in April 2022 at the Waldens’ home in Brentwood, a wealthy Los Angeles enclave where Ms. Harris and Mr. Emhoff also own a residence. The Waldens, Vice President Harris explained, set up a couple who in turn had set her up with Mr. Emhoff on a blind date.
"ABC News... falls under the purview of a top corporate executive at Disney who happens to be longtime friends with the Dem nominee... rare is the genuine, enduring friendship like that between Ms. Harris and Ms. Walden. Their closeness is no secret..." https://t.co/4a4Tolzg19
— John Ashbrook (@JohnAshbrook) September 11, 2024
ABC claims Walden "does not weigh in on editorial decisions."