Hollywood and Washington, D.C. may be on different coasts, but it always seemed unlikely that word of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct never penetrated the Democratic political circles in which he traveled for decades. Indeed, on Wednesday, one entertainment industry insider with close ties to the Clinton family confirmed she warned several powerful party operatives about the producer’s reputation.
Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, whose friendship with the Clintons dates back to the 1980s, penned an insightful essay for The Hollywood Reporter in which she revealed having warned three “top-level Democratic operatives” not to let Weinstein host fundraisers. Though the bulk of Bloodworth-Thomason’s essay focuses on her experiences with sexual harassment in Hollywood, she addressed the industry’s rush to proclaim ignorance after allegations about Weinstein finally surfaced in the New York Times nearly two weeks ago.
With commendable honesty, she implied many people now claiming they knew nothing about Weinstein’s behavior are feigning ignorance, but also conceded, “I will be the first to admit that clearly delineated moral choices can still be painfully complex where friendship is involved.”
Bloodworth-Thomason continued (emphasis added):
One of the best friends I will ever have and a man I love dearly, former President Bill Clinton, has certainly taxed my feminist conscience, but always without diminishing my affection. I even helped write his apology to the nation for his own sexual misconduct, was sitting next to him when he delivered it, and believe to this day it was based on something that was none of our business. And yes, some may call it hypocritical, but I confess to having had no problem warning at least three top-level Democratic operatives against allowing Harvey Weinstein to host political fundraisers. A warning that evidently (and to the glee of Fox News) fell on deaf ears.
Nevertheless, Weinstein went on to host multiple fundraisers for both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and helped raise $1.5 million for Democratic candidates between 1995 and 2016.
Which “top-level” Democrats did she warn, and why did they choose to ignore her warnings?
As she noted in her essay, Bloodworth-Thomason is a longtime personal friend of the Clintons. In 2014, that same publication named her one of Hillary Clinton’s five “biggest Hollywood confidants.” In 2016, she produced a video celebrating the life of Clinton’s mother, Dorothy Rodham, that was slated to air at the Democratic National Convention. For her work producing the biopic “The Man from Hope,” Bloodworth-Thomason said she was recognized as “the woman who introduced Bill Clinton to America.”
“Linda’s gonna make my film. She knows me. She knows what to do. Everybody just needs to leave her alone,” the producer recalled Clinton remarking. Bloodworth-Thomason has since made three additional convention films, including one titled “Hillary” from 2008.
With a friendship spanning more than three decades, it is highly likely that someone from Clinton World is among the three “top-level Democratic operatives” Bloodworth-Thomason warned about Weinstein. Hillary Clinton, who rented a house next to Weinstein in the Hamptons for three summers, admitted last week she probably would have considered the disgraced mogul a friend before learning of his history.
To be clear, there is absolutely no room for partisan “glee” about these revelations. They are stomach-turning and difficult to even read. That three top Democratic political operatives seem to have prioritized campaign cash over disassociating their party from a predator is deeply upsetting.
Just as they would demand of Republicans, it’s time for Democrats, the self-professed champions of women’s rights, to do some serious soul-searching — who knew, who looked the other way, and why?
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
