Hillary Clinton defended her association to Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who is on trial for sexual misconduct, claiming she was unaware of the numerous allegations against him.
“How could we have known?” Clinton, 72, told the Hollywood Reporter when asked whether she regretted her association with Weinstein. “He raised money for me, for the Obamas, for Democrats in general. And that at the time was something that everybody thought made sense. And of course, if all of us had known what we know now, it would have affected our behavior.”
Since the 2016 election, several women said they warned Clinton’s campaign about Weinstein’s treatment of women.
Actress Lena Dunham said she mentioned Weinstein’s conduct to Clinton’s Deputy Communications Director Kristina Schake in March 2016 after she heard stories from other actresses about their encounters with the Democratic fundraiser.
“I just want … to let you know that Harvey’s a rapist, and this is going to come out at some point,” Dunham said she told Schake.
Schake was surprised by the allegations and said she would tell campaign manager Robby Mook, according to the actress. Dunham said she also alerted Adrienne Elrod, a Clinton spokeswoman who led efforts with celebrity campaigners, of Weinstein’s alleged sexual misconduct.
Both Schake and Elrod denied that Dunham mentioned rape in her warnings, and Mook said he was never told of the allegations.
Hollywood Reporter Magazine Editor Tina Brown said she told a member of Clinton’s inner circle about Weinstein as far back as 2008, during Clinton’s first presidential run. A spokesman for Clinton’s campaign said no one recalled a warning from Brown.
