Disgraced Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein used his connection to powerful people such as Bill and Hillary Clinton to intimidate his alleged victims into silence, according to testimony.
Prosecutors argued Weinstein was a “savvy sexual predator” and claimed the mogul stoked fear by threatening to ruin careers with his political and social power.
Weinstein Co. board member Lance Maerov testified that Weinstein “made no secret of the fact he was connected to very powerful people.”
“Was Mr. Weinstein particularly close with the Clintons?” Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon asked Maerov.
A photo of Weinstein with then-President Bill Clinton was shown, and Maerov said Weinstein “made a point of telling me on a number of occasions” about his influence. Illuzzi-Orbon told the jury that a number of women were ready to testify on how Weinstein would tell his alleged victims “how close he was to Bill Clinton.”
Hillary Clinton claimed ignorance of Weinstein’s behavior, asking, “How could we have known?” in a recent article.
