One of Warren Buffet’s shareholders called him out for his leftist politics at the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 6. For his factual comments, the whistleblower landed in jail.
Peter Flaherty was given three minutes on the agenda to present a shareholder proposal — a speech that he published publicly the day before on the website of the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), for which he serves as chair. In it he argued that because Buffett is both Chairman and CEO of the multinational conglomerate, its shareholders risk reputational harm due to his radical leanings.
Flaherty began by establishing Buffett’s ties as a major funder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and its politicized philanthropy. But when Flaherty mentioned Gates’ ties to Jeffrey Epstein, it became evident that he had entered a no-fly zone. You can watch the video here:
Officials cut his mic and told Flaherty that he had to leave. Though he protested that he had not finished his statement, an Omaha police officer arrested him and dragged him out of the arena to jail.
A couple of days later, he appeared on The Mark Levin show to describe what happened next.
Flaherty: I was led from the arena. I was transported downtown by two more cops. I was searched. I was handcuffed. I was charged. I spent about 3 hours there. I finally bailed myself out. And I was a free man again.
Levin: What were you charged with? Trespass?
Flaherty: I was charged with criminal trespass, which is a curious charge. I was on the agenda. Now, it is true that Berkshire Hathaway had control of the arena and had their security there. But they are a public company with public shareholders who have rights. It’s not — they don’t have total control over the meeting. It’s subject to the laws of Delaware, the corporate laws in Delaware where Berkshire Hathaway is incorporated. It’s also subject to regulation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mark, I’ve been a shareholder activist for 19 years. I’ve never had my mic turned off, much less being arrested. And I’ve never heard of any other shareholder activist ever having that happen to them. This is unprecedented.
It’s ironic that Buffett himself is credited with nicknaming the annual Berkshire Hathaway event as the “Woodstock for Capitalists.”
On the other hand, the NLPC is a non-profit watchdog dedicated to exposing corruption in public and private sectors. Believing he was falsely arrested and the victim of malicious prosecution, Flaherty told Levin that his general counsel is looking into suing.
Flaherty’s full statement intended for presentation at the capitalists’ “Woodstock” is available at NLPC.org and his transcribed here:
If we had an independent chair, the Company would be less identified with Mr. Buffett’s political activities.
He’s donated tens of billions to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. As Bill Gates explained when the couple was still together, “Although the foundation bears our names, basically half our resources have come from Warren Buffett.”
If “woke” culture is a disease, then philanthropy is the virus.
The Gates Foundation bankrolls the teaching of Critical Race Theory around the country, including that math is inherently racist.
The Gates Foundation offers a Gender Identity Toolbox, which asserts that gender is the result of “socially and culturally constructed ideas.”
This is a lie. Gender is not a cultural construct. It is a genetic and biological fact.
We know how much Bill Gates cares about children. He met and traveled with Jeffrey Epstein MANY times AFTER Epstein was convicted of sex crimes.
The Gates Foundation had a huge influence over the COVID response fiasco. Bill Gates defended China‘s COVID policies and still discounts the possibility that the virus originated from a lab, even though U.S. intelligence agencies disagree.
The Gates Foundation may be the largest single donor to the “dark money” machine known as Arabella Associates, which funds causes like defunding the police that are making American cities unlivable.
Money goes, too, to groups conducting threatening and vulgar protests at the homes of Supreme Court Justices.
Mr. Buffett has quietly funneled more than $4 billion to groups supporting abortion on demand through the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation.
That’s $4 billion, with a “b.” Advocacy disguised as philanthropy.
Bill Gates has lamented political polarization and has even worried aloud about a civil war. But it is billionaires who are funding the most shrill and extreme activists who are tearing our country apart.
Ironically, Mr. Buffett has pointed out that corporate executives can make a lot of people mad when they insert themselves into controversy.
Anheuser-Busch is finding that out. It cannot renounce its Dylan Mulvaney transgender promotion because it is handcuffed by its longtime support for activists who would turn on them in a minute.
Anheuser-Busch gets a perfect grade on the Human Rights Campaign scorecard, as do Berkshire portfolio companies like Coca-Cola, Bank of America, and Apple.
Bank of America and Apple help bankroll this group, which wants biological men to compete in women’s sports.
Worse, it is currently pressuring state legislatures to allow sex change operations on children, and to keep their parents out of the decision.
Let’s revisit Coca-Cola, which I discussed at last year’s meeting. CEO James Quincey, a British citizen, tried to kill Georgia’s voter integrity law in 2021 by making inaccurate and inflammatory statements about it.
That’s the law that President Biden called “Jim Crow 2.0,” and which prompted Major League Baseball to move the All-Star game out of Atlanta.
Mr. Buffett jumped on the bandwagon, too, by signing a statement by corporate leaders suggesting that Republicans seek to restrict ballot access based on race.
Two years later, we can now evaluate that accusation.
Last year, an election was held in Georgia. Turnout was record-breaking. According to an independent poll, 99% of voters said they had “no problem” casting ballots. And 92% said the new law either had no impact on their ability to vote or made it easier.
James Quincey was wrong, and Mr. Buffett, so were you.
