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| All those red flags Photo Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images |
While the McMahon matriarch has been reported to have stepped down from her role as head of the Small Business Administration, according to a simple Internet search, she's still on Trump's cabinet. Of course, McMahon was never not going to get the position, but as with any cabinet position, she needed to be vetted so as not to encounter any surprises from the Senate that had to confirm her. Axios got a hold of her vetting sheet, and it includes both stuff most folks know and stuff that might open some eyes.
The bog standard stuff is bog standard: Chris Benoit murder-suicide, George Zahorian and steroids, the concussion study, abuse of the independent contractor label. A few things are a bit surprising though. It covers some lesser known scandals in the mainstream that insiders and nerds know about like the "Ring Boy" scandal, where Tom Cole, who was hired as a gofer for the company at the age of 13 was subjected to WWE officials masturbating in his presence, grabbing his genitals, and making unwanted advances to him. While he never specified who did what, he ended up filing suit against Mel Phillips, Pat Patterson, and Terry Garvin. It also features Superstar Graham and Billy Jack Haynes detailing sexual harassment of male wrestlers by WWE officials in the open in the locker room. It turns out that for as homophobic as WWE's product was and has been over the years, it was a front for several gay people in the office, including Pat Patterson, allegations against whom caused him to resign from the company for a bit.
It also details some surprising donations from McMahon and the WWE in general, as several donations were made to Democratic candidates and PACs. However, judging from the most prominent and famous recipient of donations, current Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, the McMahon/WWE donation machine wasn't giving money to the left wing of the party. Even though he was Barack Obama's chief of staff, Emanuel is known as one of the most conservative Democrats, as his record as mayor of Chicago shows. It should also be noted that even though donations to the Democrats were made, Donald Trump himself was registered as a Democrat well into the 21st Century.
Another surprise that really isn't surprising is that McMahon and WWE received $3 million in government subsidies. McMahon herself criticized government bailouts, but she and her company took all that money. It's not surprising, as Republicans are noted hypocrites and also the biggest recipients of corporate welfare. They rail against socialism, but what is happening now is certainly socialism benefiting the rich and the elites. Remember that the next time the McMahons claim they built up from nothing, especially since the McMahons filed for bankruptcy after backing several bad investments (including an Evel Knievel jump). McMahon didn't work his way up as much as he reached out to his estranged father and got himself a wrestling company.
Maybe that rap sheet is more for politics nerds than wrestling people, but it's important to know how shitty the people in capital are, not just to know that they are. The Ring Boy scandal alone should have tanked WWE at the start, but it goes to show how much the elites protect each other. Vince and Linda McMahon both survived scandal after scandal and have been rewarded with money and influence. It sucks, but until the whole system changes, it's what's going to happen.
