Yahoo News Hillary Clinton on Harvey Weinstein: ‘It Was Time for an Accounting’
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Hillary Clinton has said that the jury’s verdict in the trial of Harvey Weinstein, formerly one of her primary Hollywood donors, “really speaks for itself.”
“It is obviously something that people have looked at and followed, because it was time for an accounting and the jury clearly found that,” said Clinton, who was speaking Tuesday morning at the Berlin Film Festival.
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Clinton’s Hulu doc series “Hillary” premiered in Berlin on Monday, a month on from its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January. She is easily one of the most high-profile attendees at this year’s fest, which kicked off on Feb. 20 and runs to March 1.
The former first lady emerged in Berlin a day after the verdict came down on disgraced producer Weinstein, who was convicted on Monday morning of committing a “criminal sexual act” and third-degree rape, following a six-week trial in New York Supreme Court.
He faces five to 25 years in prison on the criminal sexual act charge, and another four years on the rape charge. He was acquitted of first-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault.
Weinstein was one of Clinton’s greatest Hollywood champions, and reportedly contributed around $1.4 million to her campaign.
Asked by Variety whether the Weinstein verdict will cause politicians to think more carefully about the donations they accept from senior figures in the entertainment industry, she said she doesn’t think it will “chill” the donations process.
“He contributed to every Democrat’s campaign — he contributed to Barack Obama’s campaign, John Kerry’s campaign, Al Gore’s campaign, everyone’s campaign. I don’t know whether that should chill anyone else from contributing to political campaigns but it should certainly end the kind of behavior for which he was convicted for.”
In an interview earlier this year, Clinton defended her association with the producer, saying, “How could we have known? He raised money for me, for the Obamas, for Democrats in general. And that at the time was something that everybody thought made sense.”
In an interview with Variety in late 2017, when the scandal first broke, Clinton praised the women who spoke out against Weinstein, noting she was “shocked and appalled” by the revelations.
Directed by “The Kid Stays In The Picture” helmer Nanette Burstein and produced by Ben Silverman and Howard Owens’ Propagate Content, four-part series “Hillary” chronicles Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign as well as painting a nuanced portrait of the former U.S. Secretary of State.
Clinton did not hold back in going after President Donald Trump. Asked what she thinks her legacy might be, Clinton quipped that she is “not at the point of my life yet that I’m looking backward. I’m still looking forward. I’m not thinking about legacy,” but quickly added, “I’m thinking how to get healthcare for all Americans (and) how do we deal with climate change. How do we retire Donald Trump? That’s what I’m thinking about.”
Clinton later said she will “wait and see” who Democrats nominate before announcing her endorsement, but highlighted that she will “support the nominee.”
“It is imperative that we retire the incumbent,” she said.
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