Republicans have a new enemy: The Walt Disney Company. After initially trying to stay out of the latest culture war, they’ve gone all-in, giving hell to Governor Ron DeSantis, who recently signed into law what’s been dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which critics argue marginalizes already marginalized communities. They’ve received pushback from lawmakers and Fox News pundits alike. But it turns out one prominent GOP member giving them hell has a bit of conflict of interest.
As per Insider, Marjorie Taylor Greene has been firing off vicious — and highly disturbing — bromides against the family-friendly company. There’s just one problem: She’s the owner of Disney stock.
“It’s hard to believe that Disney, Walt Disney, the Walt Disney Company, would be the very place that this is happening,” Greene recently told conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. “This is supposed to be the happiest place on Earth, a place where innocence is celebrated. But it seems to be the place where innocence is actually under attack.”
And yet records show that Greene may be profiting off of the very business she publicly demonizes. Law requires that members of Congress must disclose any personal financial disclosures they’ve made. Insider procured records filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives, showing that she’s repeatedly purchased Disney stock ranging from $1,001 to $15,000. Combined, Greene’s Disney stock is worth up to $45,000.
When asked about investing in a company she’s accused of “grooming” — a callback to an old homophobic stereotype that paints gay people as predators, preying upon young children — Greene suggested she was not aware of what stocks she owned.
“I have an independent investment advisor that has full discretionary authority on my accounts,” Greene told Insider. “I do not direct any trades.”
She also doubled down on her troubling wordage, claiming that “anyone who opposes anti-grooming laws like the one in Florida is pro-child predator. Stop sexualizing children.”
Greene has joined a number prominent conservatives in trying to defend such anti-LGTBQIA+ laws by using words like “grooming.” Such rhetoric seems to echo wacko QAnon conspiracies, which have accused prominent Hollywood figures, including Tom Hanks, of being involved in a bizarre pedophilic cabal.
In other words, Greene may tell the public that Disney is destroying children, but privately she probably enjoys their money, especially since she keeps wasting her salary on self-defeating mask protests.
(Via Insider)