Hilary Clinton, after days of silence, has finally – and at long last – spoken on the tidal wave of sexual assault claims emerging against one of her top fundraisers and confidantes, Harvey Weinstein.
In a nod to the inescapable public outrage that would be leveled against her if she didn’t act – Hillary tokenly committed to returning all personal donations she had received from Weinstein, and donating the funds to charity. However, she was utterly silent on the matter of donations that went to her Campaign, and her campaign projects.
Harvey Weinstein, the now disgraced Hollywood mogul, has been known for decades as a wealthy financier of Democratic politics. And as stories continue to emerge, it is becoming increasingly clear that he was also well known for his various sexual assaults against stars of all ages.
In a recent interview on CNN, Hillary was asked by Fareed Zakaria – in a question that must have been rehearsed and planned – to explain her relation to Weinstein and the hundreds of thousands that the Hollywood sexual predator has given to her and her political causes.
She answered, claiming, “I give 10% of my income to charities every year and this will be part of that.” She further argued that she was unaware of Weinstein’s perverted habits, “I was just sick, I was shocked, I was appalled—it was something that was just intolerable in every way. This was a different side of a person who, I and many others had known in the past.”
This is the first time Clinton spoke publicly on sexual harassment allegations against this Democratic super-donor. Clinton had waited an incredible five days before condemning Weinstein’s extensive history of sexual harassment.
Cnn’s Zakaria followed up with another question, asking, “Would you called him a friend?”
“Yes, I probably would of, and so would so many others. People in Democratic politics for a couple of decades appreciated his help and support.”
Clinton said that she was unaware of any such incidents of sexual assault during their friendship, and added, “And I don’t know who did, but I can only speak for myself, and I think speak for many others who knew him primarily through politics.”
Clinton’s 2016 running mate, Senator Tim Kaine, was also asked if the donations from Weinstein to the campaign would be re-donated to charities to support the effort to stop the sexual harassment.
Kaine expressed sadness at the extensive list of Weinstein’s sexual assaults, but demurred when asked about campaign funds, “Well, the campaign’s over.”
Zakaria ended the interview by asking Clinton directly, “Would you give the money back?”
“Well, there’s no one to give it back to,” Clinton scrambled to reply. “What other people are saying, what my former colleagues are saying is they’re going to donate it to charity, and of course I will do that.”
Zakaria did not ask about the money that Clinton’s campaign committee and other groups received from Weinstein, which is in the millions.
