Reality television producer Mark Burnett further distanced himself from Donald Trump late Wednesday, issuing a new statement that denies any political connection to the Republican nominee.
“Given all of the false media reports, I feel compelled to clarify a few points. I am not now and have never been a supporter of Donald Trump’s candidacy. I am NOT ‘Pro-Trump.’ Further, my wife and I reject the hatred, division and misogyny that has been a very unfortunate part of his campaign,” wrote Burnett, the coproducer of “The Apprentice.”
In addition, MGM, the parent company of Trump’s show, also said it has no intentions of breaching its contract and releasing tapes that show Trump making inappropriate comments to women.
“MGM, not Mark Burnett, owns ‘The Apprentice.’ MGM has agreements with artists across a wide spectrum of creative properties, including ‘The Apprentice.’ These agreements typically contain provisions related to confidentiality and artist’s rights. MGM has every intention of complying with its agreements with artists and honoring their rights, including with respect to ‘The Apprentice,'” said MGM’s longtime counsel Marvin S. Putnam
On Monday, Burnett announced the infamous “Trump tapes” would not be made public due to legal constraints.
“MGM owns Mark Burnett’s production company and ‘The Apprentice’ is one of its properties. Despite reports to the contrary, Mark Burnett does not have the ability nor the right to release footage or other material from ‘The Apprentice’. Various contractual and legal requirements also restrict MGM’s ability to release such material. The recent claims that Mark Burnett has threatened anyone with litigation if they were to leak such material are completely and unequivocally false. To be clear, as previously reported in the press, which Mark Burnett has confirmed, he has consistently supported Democratic campaigns,” MGM and Burnett said in a joint statement.
On Saturday, Burnett had tweeted he had “far worse” material than the 2005 video that showed Trump discussing how he manipulated women to his advantage.
Burnett has not donated to either of the presidential nominees in this election cycle. He did give to Barack Obama’s campaign in 2008 and to the Democratic National Committee following Obama’s 2012 reelection.
While Burnett has promised a legal fight against anyone who releases the tapes, one Hillary Clinton supporter is offering to compensate that individual for any monetary fines ensued in doing so. David Brock, who oversees a network of left-leaning groups helping Clinton’s campaign, offered to pay the $5 million fine for anyone who leaks the footage.
