Rep. Banks blasts Disney for allegedly protecting Harvey Weinstein and then 'attacking parents'
Disney was hit with a $60M lawsuit by actress Paz de la Huerta after she took Weinstein to court
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FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., torched Disney for allegedly defending film producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein before going on to attack parents’ rights in education.
Banks caught up with FOX Business on Friday, blasting the Mouse House over their Weinstein connection and the company’s activism against the Florida Parental Rights in Education bill.
The Indiana Republican called Disney’s protection of Weinstein and then later on "attacking parents" by pushing back against the bill as "shameful."
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Rep. Banks caught up with FOX Business on Friday, blasting the Mouse House over their Weinstein connection and the company’s activism against the Florida Parental Rights in Education bill.
Disney purchased Weinstein’s Miramax film company in 1993 and remained in business with them until 2005 — during which timeframe Weinstein assaulted several women while working on Disney’s dime — when a growing rift between the companies saw them split.
The Mouse House was hit with a $60 million lawsuit in 2019 by actress Paz de la Huerta a year after she took Weinstein to court.
"Defendant Robert A. Iger has served as President and Chief Operating Officer of The Walt Disney Company from 2000 to present and has served as Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company from 2005 to present," the complaint read.
The entrance to Disney World is deserted on the first day of closure as theme parks in the Orlando area suspend operations for two weeks in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
"Iger made a series of decisions that allowed a range of actions by Harvey Weinstein that unacceptably harmed certain employees of Miramax," it continues.
However, the complaint contained an error in listing Iger as serving "as President and Chief Operating Officer of The Walt Disney Company from 2000 to present" when he left the job in 2005 for a higher position.
Banks said Disney’s choices sent a message of a lack of "morals" and that the company is focused more on political catering than appealing to their audience when asked what Disney’s activism says to their fans.
"It says that Disney, at this point, Disney has no morals and they're a lot more interested in appealing to the radical left than they are to appealing to their customers and to families who love taking their kids on vacation at Disney World and watching Disney movies," Banks said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis walk at Ocala International Airport in Ocala, Florida, Oct. 23, 2020. (REUTERS/Tom Brenner / Reuters Photos)
"But the more they change in this direction, the less likely that's going to occur moving forward," the father of three daughters added.
Banks also called the leaked videos "embarrassing" for the Mouse House while lauding Governor Ron DeSantis’ leadership in the Sunshine State and said that Disney’s silence on the ongoing state-sponsored Uyghur Muslim genocide further showed Disney "has no morals."
"This is not the same company that Walt Disney founded," Banks said. "I can only imagine that Walt Disney is rolling over in his grave as someone who built a company to create characters and bring joy to families, to bring families together, to give families the happiest place on Earth to could go and take their kids."
"Those values are different than the values of Disney today," Banks continued. "And that and that, to me, that's sad."
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The Indiana Republican also sent a letter to Disney CEO Bob Chapek regarding the Mouse House’s copyright expiration coming up in January 2024, saying he would not be supporting another extension for Disney’s copyright.
Banks told FOX Business that he is trying to get a movement in Congress started to vote down any copyright extensions for Disney and that he would be circulating the letter around to members of the Republican Study Committee he chairs.