Berkshire Hathaway shareholder Peter Flaherty had his microphone cut and was arrested and forcibly removed from the company’s annual meeting Saturday in Omaha, after mentioning Bill Gate’s relationship with billionaire and sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Flaherty chairs the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), and was speaking on behalf of the organization’s Proposal #8, which would “require hereafter that two separate people hold the office of the Chairman and the office of the CEO.”

Proponents of resolutions are each allowed three minutes to speak in support of their proposals. Prior to Flaherty, three other advocates spoke in favor of their proposals without interruption.

Flaherty noted that his proposal would allow Berkshire to “be less identified with Mr. Buffett’s personal political activities.” He went on to specifically cite Buffet’s association with the Bill and Melinda Gate’s Foundation, among other activities.

In video of the event, at 1:08, Flaherty is approached by Cathy Woollums, the Berkshire representative assigned to be a designated liaison with proponents at the meeting. Woolums instructed Flaherty to remain, “on topic.”

Flaherty responded, “You are not going to censor what I say, ma’am. I’m very sorry. And I appeal to the Chair (occupied by Warren Buffett) that I be allowed to continue. Sir?”

Buffet responded, “You may continue but under the three-minute limitation.” to which Flaherty replied, “Of course.”

Flaherty resumed speaking at 1:28, at 1:55 Buffet attempted to talk over him, and at 2:04, his microphone was shut off as he was mentioning Bill Gate’s relationship with deceased billionaire and sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Buffet spoke to other people in the hall, apparently giving instructions, and then two representatives of Clark International Security approached Flaherty. They informed Flaherty that he was to leave the arena, or he would be arrested. Flaherty noted he had not yet finished his statement, he was still under the three minute limitation, and the chair had ruled in his favor.

At that point one of the Clark representatives motioned to a nearby Omaha Police Officer, and instructed him to arrest Flaherty. The officer took Flaherty by the arm, informing him he was under arrest, and escorted him from the arena. Omaha police transported Flaherty to Douglas County Corrections Center, where he was charged with criminal trespass.

NLPC filed a similar proposal last year, and made a statement at the time in favor of it without incident. A diverse group of shareholders had supported it, including the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS).

NLPC has engaged in shareholder activism since 2004. In 2023, NLPC had filed 2 proposals at various companies over a range of different issues.

Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Goldman-Sachs, Home Depot, Mondelez, PepsiCo, Salesforce, and Visa all considered NLPC proposals for an independent chair.

Since it was founded in 1991, NPLC has sought to promote ethics in public life and government accountability through research, investigation, education, and legal action.

The statement Flaherty intended to give was made available on the NLPC website, and appeared as follows:

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.