Democrats: Powerful Millionaire Accused Of Decades Of Sexual Harassment Defended By Noted Feminist Attorney
[guest post by Dana]
Hypocrites.
The New York Times is reporting that Harvey Weinstein, film industry titan and ardent supporter of Hillary Clinton, noted champion of women, has been sexually harassing women for decades:
An investigation by The New York Times found previously undisclosed allegations against Mr. Weinstein stretching over nearly three decades, documented through interviews with current and former employees and film industry workers, as well as legal records, emails and internal documents from the businesses he has run, Miramax and the Weinstein Company.
During that time, after being confronted with allegations including sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact, Mr. Weinstein has reached at least eight settlements with women, according to two company officials speaking on the condition of anonymity. Among the recipients, The Times found, were a young assistant in New York in 1990, an actress in 1997, an assistant in London in 1998, an Italian model in 2015 and Ms. O’Connor shortly after, according to records and those familiar with the agreements.
The details of the accusations, while pretty awful, seem to be the standard method used by powerful men in Hollywood to exploit employees or those hoping to break into the business. Because some things never change:
In interviews, eight women described varying behavior by Mr. Weinstein: appearing nearly or fully naked in front of them, requiring them to be present while he bathed or repeatedly asking for a massage or initiating one himself. The women, typically in their early or mid-20s and hoping to get a toehold in the film industry, said he could switch course quickly — meetings and clipboards one moment, intimate comments the next. One woman advised a peer to wear a parka when summoned for duty as a layer of protection against unwelcome advances.
Laura Madden, a former employee who said Mr. Weinstein prodded her for massages at hotels in Dublin and London beginning in 1991, said he had a way of making anyone who objected feel like an outlier. “It was so manipulative,” she said in an interview. “You constantly question yourself — am I the one who is the problem?”
“I don’t know anything about that,” Mr. Weinstein said.
Further:
Across the years and continents, accounts of Mr. Weinstein’s conduct share a common narrative: Women reported to a hotel for what they thought were work reasons, only to discover that Mr. Weinstein, who has been married for most of three decades, sometimes seemed to have different interests.
…
Working for Mr. Weinstein could mean getting him out of bed in the morning and doing “turndown duty” late at night, preparing him for sleep.
For his part, Weinstein offered this “apology” for his predatory behavior::
“I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it,” reads Weinstein’s statement. “Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go.”
And then he offered this ridiculous excuse for having sexually harassed women for 30 years:
Weinstein also added: “I came of age in the 60’s and 70’s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then.”
Show of hands: how many commenters here came up in the 60’s and 70’s and believed it was permissible to sexually harass women, especially those with whom you exerted professional power and control over? I am fairly confident that every reader here in that age bracket, knew, with complete assurance, that behaving in said manner was wrong and unacceptable on every level.
Interestingly, the internet being what it is, it was an easy find to see that Weinstein was a rather substantial contributor to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton, whose presidential campaign platform included:
Confront violence against women. One in five women in America is sexually assaulted while in college. Twenty-two percent of women experience severe physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime. American women are 11 times more likely to be murdered with guns than women in other high-income countries. It’s time to address violence against women—and Hillary will put forward bold plans to do that.
We’ll see if she speaks out against Weinstein and his outrageous exploitation of women, return his tainted campaign contributions.
Apparently, in the time that I’ve been writing this post, it’s been announced that Weinstein plans to sue the New York Times for their bombshell report:
Harvey Weinstein says he will sue the New York Times for an estimated $50 million after it published a bombshell report claiming the movie mogul subjected actresses and female staffers to “decades of sexual harassment.”
…
“The New York Times published today a story that is saturated with false and defamatory statements about Harvey Weinstein. It relies on mostly hearsay accounts and a faulty report, apparently stolen from an employee personnel file, which has been debunked by 9 different eyewitnesses. We sent the Times the facts and evidence, but they ignored it and rushed to publish. We are preparing the lawsuit now. All proceeds will be donated to women’s organizations.”
Irony abounds: When Bill O’Reilly faced sexual harassment accusations, attorney Lisa Bloom, daughter of Gloria Allred, made headlines when she represented “the three women whose latest complaints against O’Reilly precipitated his ouster from Fox News,” and famously said, “Bill O’Reilly is going to be driven out,” and that Fox News network was “a cesspool of intimidation and retaliation.” Guess who she’s defending now:
Bloom said she and Weinstein “have had many wide-ranging conversations over the last year about rumors and allegations against him. He denies many of the accusations as patently false. Nevertheless, I have explained to him that due to the power difference between a major studio head like him and most others in the industry, whatever his motives, some of his words and behaviors can be perceived as inappropriate, even intimidating.”
“As a women’s rights advocate, I have been blunt with Harvey and he has listened to me. I have told him that times have changed, it is 2017, and he needs to evolve to a higher standard. I have found Harvey to be refreshingly candid and receptive to my message. He has acknowledged mistakes he has made. He is reading books and going to therapy. He is an old dinosaur learning new ways. He wants to reach out to any of the women who may have issues with him to talk to them in a respectful, peaceful way, with me present if that is acceptable to them. He has been working on a major foundation with USC with one of the largest grants for female directors, which started well over a year ago. And as we work together on a project bringing my book to the screen, he has always been respectful toward me.”
Oh, for godsake. Just stop it. Bloom is defending a powerful mogul who is working to… bring her book to the screen?? This gives her credibility? Does she believe Women everywhere are collectively shaking their heads in understanding, Ah, well, that makes sense. How else are you going to get your book turned into a movie? Irony doesn’t bite much more than Lisa Bloom herself selling her soul for the part. And while Bloom mentioned two appropriate “I” words to describe Weinstein’s behavior, inappropriate and intimidating, I’m thinking there might be yet one more appropriate “I” word to describe his behavior…
The lesson must be that if a Democrat who has been accused of “decades of sexual harassment,” has backed up their political persuasion with sizable donations to the candidate of choice, and promises to make her movie, then Bloom’s decision to tarnish the cause of feminism and show her hypocritical underpants is justified. She has no qualms about defending this powerful, wealthy “old dinosaur,” even if it has been feminists on the left who have been the targets of his harassment.
But hey, given that Weinstein probably has voluminous amounts of inside information on just about everyone in Hollywood, the media, the Democratic party and elsewhere, the man to whom Meryl Streep reverently referred to as “God” will no doubt reclaim his throne in no time.
(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)
-Dana
Hooray for Hollywood.
Dana (023079) — 10/5/2017 @ 3:08 pmOBILLARY!!
[OBSESS MUCH?]
Ben burn (c2b66f) — 10/5/2017 @ 3:11 pmbillionaire?
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/5/2017 @ 3:15 pmOops. Thanks, hf, correction made.
Dana (023079) — 10/5/2017 @ 3:20 pmOnce this is behind Weinstein, Bloom can forget her movie deal.
felipe (023cc9) — 10/5/2017 @ 3:22 pmyou’re welcome
ooh look here’s something squicky
these people all deserve to be stuck together on the train to hell with that one guy what never clicked the stopwatch satan gave him until he got on the train
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/5/2017 @ 3:24 pmRank hypocrisy from Hollywood’s usual suspects.
Leviticus (efada1) — 10/5/2017 @ 3:29 pmHarassment: ‘Pro-Life’ GOP Congressman to “Retire” After Reports He Asked His Mistress to have an abortion.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/04/…/representative-tim-murphy-retire-abortion.htmlPaging Tim Murphy.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 10/5/2017 @ 3:41 pmIs hypocrisy NEWSworthy? Has it suddenly become scarce? Not enough..heh.
Ben burn (c2b66f) — 10/5/2017 @ 3:46 pmWeinstein sounds pretty tame, actually, compared to other stories from Hollywood.
nk (dbc370) — 10/5/2017 @ 3:53 pmI don’t think hypocrisy is newsworthy, Ben burn, but Weinstein is hypocrisy + criminal sexual harassment kinda is. Bad enough a pig like Murphy is in Congress but a filthy pervert like Weinstein in political collusion with Hillary and other top pols is sickening.
Rev.Hoagie® (6bbda7) — 10/5/2017 @ 4:01 pmMr. Murphy’s doing the right thing by resigning in disgrace
if only John McCain had his courage and integrity
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/5/2017 @ 4:11 pmCouldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
Haven’t seen any Roman Polanski or Jimmy Savile-esque accusations, at least. Hope it stays that way.
JP (ad360a) — 10/5/2017 @ 4:29 pm@10. No, nk. He’s a total scumbag.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 10/5/2017 @ 4:31 pmThe Elites are ‘elite ‘. Above the Law..
Nuff said
Ben burn (c2b66f) — 10/5/2017 @ 4:34 pmHe wants to reach out to any of the women who may have issues with him to talk to them in a respectful, peaceful way, with me present if that is acceptable to them.
Left unsaid by Ms. Bloom: “He’ll bring his checkbook.”
JVW (42615e) — 10/5/2017 @ 4:35 pm15 was to Hoagie.
Ben burn (c2b66f) — 10/5/2017 @ 4:35 pmjeff bezos looks like he has happy hands too but girls are probably safe
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/5/2017 @ 4:36 pm@10. Back in the day, W’s studio was cranking out product and distributing same, his logic was it was better to get 30 nominations than to win a single Oscar. And he’d market his product accordingly. So he’d ply the powers that be with wine, women and song– literally anything– just to get as many nods for noms as possible. His yacht parties at Cannes were legendary; water beads in his shadow.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 10/5/2017 @ 4:39 pmPeople like him need to be hung by their balls and handed a razor blade.
mg (31009b) — 10/5/2017 @ 4:42 pmspeaking of jeffy this map is an provocative think piece in context of amazon hg hunt 2017
article here
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/5/2017 @ 4:59 pmikes *hq* i mean
i tell you what these glyphs could’ve been designed better
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/5/2017 @ 4:59 pmI knew a woman out here who worked as a script reader and I think spent at least a little bit of time at Miramax. She never divulged any secrets but I do remember that once when Harvey Weinstein’s name came up she just softly muttered, “Pig.” I tried to uncover some juicy details, but she would not comply.
JVW (42615e) — 10/5/2017 @ 5:39 pmIs hypocrisy NEWSworthy? Has it suddenly become scarce? Not enough..heh.
It’s newsworthy when a high-powered public figure sexually harasses subordinates, and has gotten away with it for 30 years. It’s newsworthy because he is an ardent supporter of the Left and their policies, specifically as they pertain to women and abuse. It’s further damning by the fact that an ardent feminist has unwittingly exposed her incredibly self-serving motives for defending him.
I don’t feel like ignoring rank hypocrisy on both sides of the politics also aisle.
Dana (023079) — 10/5/2017 @ 5:50 pmTim Murphy was a shrink, a sloppering piglet, in the trough, but nit particularly vocal on the prolife question.
narciso (d1f714) — 10/5/2017 @ 5:52 pmnational NFL pedophile trash league all up in it
Dannon Drops Cam Newton For “Sexist And Disparaging” Comment To Female Reporter
happyfeet (28a91b) — 10/5/2017 @ 6:27 pm@26. Take a knee for yogurt this Sunday, too.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 10/5/2017 @ 6:50 pmIts Manhattan Jake:
http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capital/harvey-weinsteins-lawyer-gave-10000-manhattan-da-after-he-declined-file-sexual
narciso (d1f714) — 10/5/2017 @ 7:10 pmHappy,
You saying Jeff Bezos is a pillow biter?
KRS One (987b85) — 10/5/2017 @ 7:18 pmFunny how Ashley Judd has lots to say about Trump but has been very silent about Harvey for yeaaaarrrrsssssss.
Harvey grabs her by the pussy but Trump gets blamed.
Who knew.
KRS One (987b85) — 10/5/2017 @ 7:20 pmFunny how Ashley Judd has lots to say about Trump but has been very silent about Harvey for yeaaaarrrrsssssss.
Harvey grabs her by the pussy but Trump gets blamed.
Who knew.
KRS One (987b85) — 10/5/2017 @ 7:20 pmAs Tim Murphy and Harvey Wallbanger had their problems this week, I remembered how the left mocked Mike Pence’s policy of never being alone with any woman other than his wife.
The Dana with a good memory (140977) — 10/6/2017 @ 7:18 amIt’s not hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue. Those people have no concept of virtue.
nk (9651fb) — 10/6/2017 @ 7:24 amMaybe there’s some cultural appropriation to answer for as well (this is in the middle of nk’s land out in Chicago). I used to always see their trucks out and wondered why they used that imagery.
urbanleftbehind (02b4bd) — 10/6/2017 @ 7:31 amCalm down Dana. My point is lost in the poutrage . Hypocrisy is endemic, common and available in bulk. Not NEWS…
Ben burn (106ab9) — 10/6/2017 @ 7:41 amhttp://freebeacon.com/politics/michelle-obama-2013-praised-harvey-weinstein-wonderful-human-being/
mg (31009b) — 10/6/2017 @ 7:46 amsick
You know what those fakers call Greek yogurt? Just plain old yogurt with the whey drained out. Or do you really believe that it’s made from sheep or goat milk, with cultures brought by the Turks from Mongolia passed down from yogurt batch to yogurt batch for thousands of years?
nk (9651fb) — 10/6/2017 @ 7:58 am37,are you referring instead to the fluid from the “guey” at the dairy processing facility, no doubt owned by a Paul Ryan funder?
urbanleftbehind (02b4bd) — 10/6/2017 @ 8:05 amGoogle whey. Also Little Miss Muffet.
nk (9651fb) — 10/6/2017 @ 8:07 amThe EPA might have had an unintentional assist with regard to widespread whey availability as it had been typically a waste byproduct of cheese production which had been dumped in rivers prior to restrictions.
urbanleftbehind (02b4bd) — 10/6/2017 @ 8:13 amWhat was Dannon thinking in the first place? How many people who watch NFL football eat fancy-schmancy yogurt. I only watch high school football and I don’t even put milk in my coffee,
nk (9651fb) — 10/6/2017 @ 8:16 amTest
Ben burn (106ab9) — 10/6/2017 @ 8:16 am41,you lactose intolerant or just hate milk?
urbanleftbehind (02b4bd) — 10/6/2017 @ 8:19 amYou mean it’s not?
Rev.Hoagie® (6bbda7) — 10/6/2017 @ 8:46 amNeither. I prefer my dairy products on a cheeseburger mostly. Or something close.
nk (9651fb) — 10/6/2017 @ 8:52 amYou thinkGreek Yogurt is fake, get a load of this mishmash of leftard nonsense on a package of “Icelandic Style” yogurt.
I think this guy’s balls are “free-range”.
Rev.Hoagie® (6bbda7) — 10/6/2017 @ 8:53 amIMO Weinstein wants to identify and destroy the leakers.
Nick M. (d6362a) — 10/6/2017 @ 8:54 amHollywood and the catholic church have common ground with extreme sexual abuse.
mg (31009b) — 10/6/2017 @ 9:04 amI don’t know if I’d want to take something culinary from the Turks…they might shoot me point blank, mob me at a park or threaten to c#ck me…http://youtu.be/bDMuW8QHdPE
urbanleftbehind (02b4bd) — 10/6/2017 @ 9:58 amI would love to hear, say, Bill Cosby call out Weinstein’s “white privilege”
Kevin M (752a26) — 10/6/2017 @ 1:54 pmHey, aren’t ALL women to be believed? What’s all this with the victim-blaming for the liberals all of a sudden? Have they no shame? (to ask is to answer)
Kevin M (752a26) — 10/6/2017 @ 1:56 pmBreaking this hour: Harvey Weinstein fired by The Weinstein Company ‘in light of new information about misconduct’
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/08/harvey-weinstein-fired-by-weinstein-company-board.html
Canned from his own company. Now there’s a movie script in that.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 10/8/2017 @ 4:55 pm