NEW: Disney Executive Overseeing Trump-Kamala Debate Is A Harris Donor, Longtime Friend

A high-ranking Disney executive who is currently overseeing ABC News operations — which is set to host what may be the lone presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in September — is a donor to the Harris Campaign.

Dana Walden currently serves as co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, through which she oversees a number of the company’s television endeavors, including ABC News and ABC Entertainment. In recent years, she has made a number of donations to Kamala Harris’ various political campaigns, according to a report from the New York Times.

Walden first met Harris in 1994, while their husbands, Matt Walden and Doug Emhoff, have known each other since the 1980’s. Harris has described the ABC News director and her husband as “extraordinary friends” in the past.

CAST YOUR VOTE: Should Voter ID Be Mandatory In The 2024 Election?

The Waldens have donated to Harris’ political campaigns for years, starting with her run for San Francisco District Attorney in 2003.

They have also hosted a number of fundraisers for Harris at their upscale Los Angeles home. “In many ways, Dana and Matt are responsible for my marriage,” Harris joked while speaking at a fundraiser held at the couple’s home in 2022. The vice president explained that the Waldens had set up a couple who in turn had set her up with Mr. Emhoff on a blind date.

ABC News has pushed back on the notion that Dana Walden’s relationship with Harris amounts to a conflict of interest concerning the September 10 debate. The company told the New York Times that Walden oversees 18 businesses across the vast Disney empire and 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,” the network said 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.”

Other high-profile executives — including Robert A. Iger, chief executive of the Walt Disney Company — have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democrats in the past.

Harris agreed to the September 10 debate after Trump agreed to a number of additional debates earlier this month. Harris rejected other debates — including one hosted by Fox News — and has only agreed to the ABC News event.

Harris has not yet sat for a formal interview in the 23 days since President Biden suspended his election campaign and endorsed her. She has also largely ignored reporters and has only taken questions on a handful of occasions.

(VOTE: Are You Supporting TRUMP Or KAMALA In November?)