Wednesday on Hugh Hewitt’s nationally syndicated radio show, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), the recently appointed House Select Committee on China, said he expected to see both Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver appearing before his committee to testify on their businesses’ relationships with China.
“I would like to see the two entities most visibly compromised by China,” Hewitt said. “That would be the Walt Disney Corporation in the form of Bob Iger and the NBA in the form of Commissioner [Adam] Silver. I would like Iger and Silver before your committee to answer questions. And is that possible? That’s my first question. Do you expect those two to be early witnesses as emblematic of what the CCP has done to American organizations dependent on their market?”
“Yes, I do,” Gallagher replied. “So I mean, consider this me giving them the initial warning order that they’ll have to testify before the committee. You know, I’d be even willing to go out, when it comes to Hollywood or Disney, I’d be willing to go out and sit down with them where they are, you know, engage with them in a discussion. But we want to have a discussion in front of the American people. I think it drives the American people crazy when they see the NBA bending the knee to Xi Jinping.”
“It really drives them crazy, and also, the bigger concern is that it gives us a preview of what’s going to happen to the rest of our domestic industries if we allow the Chinese Communist Party to control the commanding heights of technology and the economy,” he continued. “They will be able to blackmail the entire world. They will be able to coerce the entire world. That’s not just isolated to the greedy executives in Hollywood or the NBA. That’s a preview of things to come if we do not change course with a sense of urgency.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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