Some Democrats Returning Money They Received from Harvey Weinstein After Revelation of Sexual Harassment Lawsuits

Gay Child Molesters Caught on Tape! Hidden Cam. Explicit Content! By Journalist Ryan Sorba


Corey Feldman charges that the “number one problem in Hollywood was, and is, and always will be, pedophilia.” Hollywood elites abandoned the township of Hollywood a very long time ago. You no longer see stars out in person on the boulevards like you did in the old days. These elite now live all over the world on their private islands, jets, and yachts. I say leave the sign up as a reminder that all that glitters these days is rarely gold. [b0yzero]


Rose McGowan (center) poses with director and then-boyfriend Robert Rodriguez (left) and Harvey Weinstein (right) in 2007. 

October 7, 2017

(AP) — Congressional Democrats, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and potential 2020 presidential contender Sen. Elizabeth Warren among them, are starting to give charities thousands of dollars in donations they had received from disgraced Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein.

Weinstein and his family have given more than $1.4 million in political contributions since the 1992 election cycle, virtually all of it to Democratic lawmakers, candidates and their allies, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

The party's effort to distance itself from the 65-year-old film executive came after The New York Times reported that he settled sexual harassment lawsuits with at least eight women.

Weinstein's contributions are tiny compared with those who donate tens of millions of dollars during a two-year election cycle, easily leaving him out of the top 100 funders, the center's figures show. But he's been a fixture among Democratic supporters and close to party luminaries for decades, making the revelations especially embarrassing for a party that touts itself as pushing progressive policies for women.

The biggest beneficiary of funds from Weinstein and his family was the Democratic National Committee, which received about $800,000 in several of its accounts, according to the center, which analyzes political spending.

Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa said the party plans to give more than $30,000 to Emily's List, Emerge America and Higher Heights. All three groups work to elect women to office. Hinojosa said the amount was for the funds Weinstein himself donated to the party during the 2016 campaign.

Other major beneficiaries of the Weinstein family's largesse included almost $200,000 to the party's Senate campaign accounts, $23,200 to its House campaign arm senatorial and $46,350 to Hillary Clinton, the 2016 presidential candidate, and to HILLPAC, a committee Clinton used to support other Democrats while senator. The figures include contributions attributed to Weinstein, first wife Eve Chilton and current spouse Georgina Chapman.

Weinstein and Chapman also contributed $10,000 to President Barack Obama.

Weinstein visited the White House during the Obama presidency and helped put on a film workshop in 2013, where then-first lady Michelle Obama described him as a "wonderful human being, a good friend and just a powerhouse."

Aides to Clinton and Obama did not immediately return requests for comment.

@KurtSchlichter Have u seen this article?Do u realise how deep the cover ups go?Then u wonder why its taken so longhttps://t.co/PoPM9zVdeY

— 🍯Eden🎃Singer 🍁 (@edensinger) October 9, 2017

The GOP jumped on the episode, happy to force Democrats to return the funds or associate themselves with Weinstein.

"Whether or not that's money they want to take, that's up to them," said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

"Returning this dirty money should be a no-brainer," said Republican Party Chair Ronna McDaniel. And RNC spokeswoman Cassie Smedile said Democrats decided to "shirk the moral high ground and instead chose to launder the dirty Harvey Weinstein money to fellow Democratic political organizations."

Schumer, D-N.Y., is donating thousands of dollars to several charities supporting women, said spokesman Matt House.

Warren spokeswoman Kristen Orthman said the senator is giving $5,000 to Casa Myrna, Boston's largest provider of services to domestic violence victims.

Another possible presidential contender, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., will not accept any future Weinstein contributions, said senior adviser Glen Caplin. He said Gillibrand will donate $11,800 to RAINN, an organization that helps survivors of sexual violence.

"Kirsten invites the right-wing activists using this terrible story as a political tool to join her in actually working to combat sexual assault and sexual harassment in our society," Caplin said.

Other Democratic recipients of Weinstein contributions who said they're donating to charitable groups include Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey — a possible presidential hopeful — as well as Sens. Al Franken of Minnesota, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Kamala Harris of California.

Demands to return campaign dollars are a staple of Washington politics practiced by both parties.

Republicans pressured Democratic candidates in 2011 to return donations from former Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., who had resigned when his lewd online behavior became public.

Democrats did the same after former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., was sentenced to prison last year in a hush-money case that stemmed from decades-old sexual abuse during his years as a wrestling coach.

The report on Weinstein came almost exactly a year after the election-campaign release of audio from 2005 in which now-President Donald Trump made offensive, lewd comments about women.

"The Democratic party condemns all forms of sexual harassment and assault," Hinojosa, the Democratic spokeswoman, said in a statement that also criticized "men like Trump who continue to show us that they lack respect for more than half of America.

what about Bob? pic.twitter.com/2qll2RjDcE

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 8, 2017

Democrats Look to Distance Themselves from Weinstein

October 9, 2017

(Yahoo News) - Democrats are facing mounting calls from critics to return or donate to charity millions in campaign contributions from Harvey Weinstein after the New York Times’ bombshell report detailing sexual harassment allegations by numerous women against the Oscar-winning movie mogul spanning three decades.

On CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said he agrees so-called dirty money ought to be returned.

“This is a pretty bad guy who did some really awful things,” Murphy said. “And, you know, if people need for that money to be returned in order to make it clear that the entities that received them want nothing to do with him and his behavior, then it is probably a smart move.”

According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Weinstein and his family have given more than $1.4 million in political contributions since the 1992 election cycle — including nearly $800,000 to the Democratic National Committee.

DNC spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa told the Associated Press that the organization plans to donate more than $30,000 — Weinstein’s personal contribution to the DNC during the 2016 campaign — to three charities benefitting women.

Numerous Democratic lawmakers — including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. — say they intend to donate Weinstein’s contributions to charities supporting women.

On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said she was unaware if Weinstein had made any contributions to her in the past.

“I don’t know that I’ve received any,” Feinstein said. “I’ll certainly take a look, and then I’ll make a decision.”

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Weinstein made at least two small contributions to Feinstein: $375 in 1992 and $1,000 in 1994.

On Thursday, the Times reported that Weinstein reached at least eight settlements with women who accused him of sexual harassment between 1990 and 2015. The newspaper also included accounts from other women, including actress Ashley Judd, who said he asked her to watch him shower during a breakfast meeting in his hotel suite in the mid 1990s.

In a statement, Weinstein apologized for his behavior, blaming it in part on the office culture that existed when he began his career.

“I came of age in the ’60s and ’70s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different,” he said. “I have since learned it’s not an excuse, in the office — or out of it.”

Weinstein added, “I realized some time ago that I needed to be a better person and my interactions with the people I work with have changed. I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it.”

The 65-year-old has been fired from the film studio he co-founded, the Weinstein Co. On Sunday, the company’s board of directors said his termination was effective immediately “in light of new information about misconduct” by Weinstein.


Hillary Clinton and producer Harvey Weinstein attend the 2012 Time 100 Gala in New York City. (Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

Murphy, who has never received money from Weinstein, said accepting campaign cash from controversial figures is a bipartisan issue.

“Let’s be honest. We take tens of thousands of contributions,” Murphy said. “I don’t require a background check to contribute to my campaign. And so there are probably lots of people with unsavory backgrounds and pasts who have given to both Democrats and Republicans. But this was a high-profile individual who did some truly awful things, and people that took money from him should probably give it back.”

Meanwhile, two high-profile Democrats have yet to comment on the revelations: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Each have ties to the disgraced film producer: Weinstein hosted fundraisers for both Obama and Clinton at his homes during their 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns, and the filmmaker offered strategic advice to the Clinton campaign during her primary battle against Bernie Sanders. And Obama’s daughter, Malia, served as an intern with the Weinstein Co. this year.

On Saturday night, President Trump was asked about the sexual harassment allegations against Weinstein.

“I’ve known Harvey Weinstein for a long time,” Trump said. “I’m not at all surprised to see it.”

This is the girl that was hurt by a monster. This is who you are shaming with your silence. pic.twitter.com/TrtRNiYfIT

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 8, 2017

Meryl Streep Speaks Out Against Harvey Weinstein

October 9, 2017

(Yashar Ali) - Academy Award winner Meryl Streep called the alleged sexual harassment by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein “disgraceful,” “inexcusable,” and an “abuse of power.” She called the women who have spoken out against him “heroes.”

In a statement sent to HuffPost exclusively by Streep’s longtime publicist Leslee Dart, Streep says she did not know that Weinstein― with whom she has collaborated for years on films like “August: Osage County” and “The Iron Lady” and once jokingly referred to as a “God”― was engaging in “inappropriate, coercive acts” and that he had paid financial settlements to at least eight women after they accused him of harassment and assault.

Streep’s statement comes four days after an explosive report in the New York Times detailed decades of allegations of sexual harassment and abuse. On Sunday, the board of directors of the Weinstein Company terminated him citing “new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days.”

Here’s Streep’s full statement:

“The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported. The intrepid women who raised their voices to expose this abuse are our heroes.

One thing can be clarified. Not everybody knew. Harvey supported the work fiercely, was exasperating but respectful with me in our working relationship, and with many others with whom he worked professionally. I didn’t know about these other offenses: I did not know about his financial settlements with actresses and colleagues; I did not know about his having meetings in his hotel room, his bathroom, or other inappropriate, coercive acts. And If everybody knew, I don’t believe that all the investigative reporters in the entertainment and the hard news media would have neglected for decades to write about it.

The behavior is inexcusable, but the abuse of power familiar. Each brave voice that is raised, heard and credited by our watchdog media will ultimately change the game.”

Weinstein was initially suspended by his eponymous company following the revelations, which included claims from former staffers as well as actresses like Ashley Judd. And on Friday, TV reporter Lauren Sivan told HuffPost exclusively that Weinstein had cornered her at a restaurant closed to the public and masturbated in front of her.

Members of the entertainment community have come under fire for being slow in responding to the Weinstein crisis. Over the weekend, “Saturday Night Live” Executive Producer Lorne Michaels came under fire for cutting jokes from the show that involved Weinstein. The New York Times reported that several jokes were tested during dress rehearsal but that they “fell flat” with the studio audience.

Matt Damon, Russell Crowe Reportedly Helped Kill a 2004 New York Times Harvey Weinstein Article

October 9, 2017

(Vulture) - Though the New York Times has been widely celebrated for its article exposing decades of sexual-harassment accusations against Harvey Weinstein, one journalist claims the paper sat on an earlier article detailing the producer’s misconduct. 

Sharon Waxman, founder of the Wrap, writes that her own investigate reporting, which took her on an international trip to uncover rumors of Weinstein’s sexual misconduct, was cut from the Times in 2004 under pressure from several Hollywood elites.

Waxman alleges in the Wrap that Matt Damon and Russell Crowe called her “directly” to dispel the reports she was following about Miramax’s Italian head Fabrizio Lombardo, who was allegedly hired “to take care of Weinstein’s women needs.” 

She says that because of their influence, and interference from Weinstein, whose company was a big advertiser in the Times, the article was edited to remove the more salacious details. 

Damon and Crowe had previously worked with Weinstein on pictures like Good Will Hunting, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and Cinderella Man.

Waxman claims that the gutted story could have exposed Weinstein much earlier. 

“I had people on the record telling me Lombardo knew nothing about film, and others citing evenings he organized with Russian escorts,” Waxman said.

She also alleges that she tracked down an intern in London who had been paid off in a settlement with Weinstein.

“I was devastated after traveling to two countries and overcoming immense challenges to confirm at least part of the story that wound up running last week, more than a decade later,” she writes.

Vulture has reached out to representatives for Matt Damon and Russell Crowe for a comment. This post will be updated if more information becomes available.

Harvey Weinstein Accuser Lauren Sivan: ‘I Could Not Believe What I Was Witnessing’

October 9, 2017

(Variety) - Shock, disgust, and shame — that’s how one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers described her experience of allegedly being trapped by the movie mogul as he engaged in a sexual act.

TV reporter Lauren Sivan discussed the details of the incident Monday morning in an appearance on NBC’s “Megyn Kelly Today.” Kelly opened the show by declaring “He’s out” as pictures of Weinstein scrolled on the talk show set’s LED screens.

Sivan has joined a growing list of accusers who have come forward since last Thursday when the New York Times published an extensive report detailing decades of allegations that the veteran movie mogul sexually harassed women, from actresses to secretaries and script readers. Weinstein was fired Sunday night from the company he co-foundedwith his brother, Bob Weinstein, in 2005 as a result of the mushrooming scandal.

Sivan described the decade-old incident in which she met Weinstein at a party at a New York restaurant in which he was an investor. At the time she was an anchor for News 12 Long Island; at present she is an anchor for Fox O&O KTTV Los Angeles.

Sivan said Weinstein lured her to the restaurant’s kitchen and tried to kiss her. When she rebuffed that advance, he allegedly blocked her passage in a narrow corridor while he masturbated, according to Sivan.

“I just stood there dumbfounded,” Sivan said. “I could not believe what I was witnessing.” She recalled thinking that he was “disgusting and kind of pathetic.” The lengthy apology that Weinstein issued in a statement after the Times report hit was “the last straw” that made Sivan come forward with her story because she felt he showed “no remorse.”

Kelly said at start of the interview that she has been friendly with Sivan for years, and she also noted that she has known Weinstein for some time. Last year, Kelly’s disclosure that she endured sexual harassment from former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes helped speed the ouster of one of the most powerful figures in media.

Sivan told Kelly that after she rejected his kiss, Weinstein told her: “Well then just stand there and be quiet.” Earlier in the evening at the party, Sivan said she’d enjoyed a lively conversation with the famed producer about politics and presidential history, among other topics. He then invited her to take a tour of the restaurant’s kitchen.

“The most demeaning part of it all was that 20 minutes earlier he was having this great conversation with me,” she said. “I felt so great and flattered by it. And then to be told ‘stand there and be quiet’ negated any warm feelings.”

Sivan said she was shocked by “the casualness” of his actions. Amid her dismay, she wondered if she’d managed to send him the wrong signal of her interest in him.

“There’s that feeling of shame,” Sivan said. “Perhaps I did something to give him the wrong impression.”

Sivan said she decided not to go public with the story because she was in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend and didn’t want to disrupt her life. “I was lucky enough to never have to work with [Weinstein] again,” she said.

The day after the incident, Sivan said Weinstein called her at the News 12 studio and asked if he could see her again. She recalled telling him “absolutely not” and she quickly hung up.

Rose McGowan Calls for Entire Weinstein Company Board to Resign

October 9, 2017

(HuffPost) - “Charmed” actress Rose McGowan minces no words about her feelings toward studio executive Harvey Weinstein, whose history of sexual harassment was laid bare last week in a New York Times exposé.

McGowan, also a director, has suggested that anyone who does business with Weinstein is “complicit” and “even dirtier,” and has called for women in Hollywood to speak up against a misogynistic “power structure that needs to be brought down.”

Last year, McGowan tweeted that “her ex sold our movie to my rapist for distribution.” Some have speculated that she was referring to Rodriguez and Weinstein, respectively."

On Sunday night, following the announcement that Weinstein had been fired from his own company, McGowan raised her voice once more — calling this time for the company’s entire board to resign and for men in Hollywood to “change” their behavior.

“I’m calling on the board to resign effective immediately,” McGowan told Hollywood Reporter. “And for other men to stop other men when they are being disgusting.”

“Men in Hollywood need to change ASAP,” she added. “Hollywood’s power is dying because society has changed and grown, and yet Hollywood male behavior has not. It is so not a good look ... The men of Hollywood need to know they own no woman.”

Almost half of The Weinstein Company’s all-male board has resigned since the publication of the explosive Times report. Just four of the original nine board members (which had included Weinstein himself) are believed to remain. They include Weinstein’s brother Bob Weinstein, co-founder of the company.

The Times reported that McGowan received a $100,000 settlement from Weinstein in 1997 after “an episode in a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival.” McGowan, according to the article, was one of at least eight women who had reached settlements with Weinstein over sexual harassment allegations.

McGowan declined to comment for the Times’ report (some have speculated that she kept mum because her settlement may have involved a non-disclosure agreement). Talk that she was sexually assaulted by Weinstein has circulated since at least 2016, when McGowan tweeted about being “raped” by a studio executive.

She’s emerged in the past few days as one of Weinstein’s most fervent critics. In a Sunday tweet, she obliquely referred to him as a “monste.r”

All of you old frat guys that are clinging to the ways of the white male mafia paradigm just need to go. @KurtSchlichter also, this is you pic.twitter.com/iJin2ZMzXh

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 9, 2017