When Biden took office, one of his first acts was the elimination of our border security. Like a power-hungry dictator, Biden simply decided to ignore our immigration laws. His catastrophic border policy resulted in untold millions of unidentified foreign citizens from around the world pouring into our country. Its impact is now being felt in cities across the country. The worst is yet to come. PETER LEMISKA - AND WE'RE ALREADY THERE!!!
Saturday, October 7, 2017
JOHN NOLTE - HUGH HEFFNER: THE AMERICA'S BIGGEST PERV AND SLEAZE BAG
VIDEO:
THE DEMOCRAT PARTY’S
LEADING LAP
DANCERS:
Hillary, Billary and
Harvey Weinstein and their boy Obomb….. new definitions of
My highest political value, the one that informs everything from my vote to my political activism, is individual liberty. An ideal America is one where every consenting adult is allowed to live their life in whatever way they choose. As long as you do not touch the tip of my nose, feel free to swing your fists however you like.
Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy magazine who died last month at age 91, furthered the noble cause of live and let live. In 1953, when Playboy first launched, ours was a society that not only used the power of the state to outlaw certain behaviors and beliefs, but was one with countless societal scarlet letters, countless stigmas that banished certain kinds of misfits, mostly sexual deviants, from society.
Simply put, and although I disagree with both, I want to live in a country where a flaming homosexual who demands I bake his wedding cake is allowed to serve in Congress alongside a flaming Muslim who believes sodomy should be added to the long list of unhealthy behaviors prohibited by the government. Until a crime is committed, until violence is used or excused, no one in America should face banishment over their beliefs or for living life on their own terms.
Hefner’s example of living on his own terms was that of an American success story, and even if his destiny was one of godless hedonism, as my colleague Joel Pollak wrote last month, he was still the author of that destiny, a man who transformed himself from a maladroit copywriter into a maladroit publisher, and who then spent more than a half-century posing — rather awkwardly — as Ian Flemings’ idea of a pipe-smoking swinger.
Also in the plus column is Hefner’s early support of the Civil Rights movement. Like Marlon Brando and Charlton Heston, Hefner climbed on board that righteous train in the early 60s, before it was cool, and helped to make it cool. And that is no small thing.
Without a doubt, Hefner’s relentless crusade against certain pieties and prejudices removed countless scarlet letters, and that is all good … but that is only 20 percent of his legacy.
The remaining 80 percent unleashed hell.
Filled with intentional lies, Alfred Kinsey’s dual (and now debunked) reports — Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953) — told normal Americans that they were abnormal; that everyone was enjoying pre-marital sex, extra-marital sex, and homosexual sex; that America’s moralistic society was an inferno of suppression and hypocrisy; that those who saved themselves for marriage, believed in marital fidelity, and chose not to engage in loveless sex, were society’s true freaks and misfits.
This was not true. Far from it. In fact, American society today is still not as permissive as Kinsey portrayed it some 70 years ago.
Nevertheless, thanks to the demonic Kinsey and his unquestioning enablers among America’s elite, every man or woman looking to be hip; anyone looking for a reason to stop controlling their own worst attributes, now had science on their side to worship self, to pursue the empty pleasures of sexual deviancy over the fulfillment and happiness that is only possible through a moral life governed by moderation.
Hefner declared himself Kinsey’s pamphleteer, and there is no question that on the pornographic pages of Playboy, that is exactly what he was.
To begin with, by taking pornography out of the backroom and mainstreaming it into urban chic, Hefner forever altered our view of women. Before Hefner, mainstream American culture idolized and idealized women, placed them on pedestals as goddesses, never went beyond presenting them as the precious objects of our dreams (see here, here, and here).
But with the turn of a page, Hefner demolished that pedestal, stripped off the goddesses’ clothes, and spread her legs wide open. Goddesses plopped to earth as flat-out sex objects, things created only to serve man’s basest desires.
No longer did we have to better ourselves, civilize ourselves, or make ourselves worthy in order to obtain the gift of femininity, because for the price of a magazine, there it was — stark naked and staring right into our eyes; stapled for our consumption and folded into three.
In an instant, that precious gift that comes with the sacramental union between one man and one woman was cheapened into an entitlement and, worst of all, done so through a goddess’s act of self-degradation.
And that was the least of it.
Aided by the Pill, a welfare state that rewarded single-motherhood, and America’s ruling class normalizing deviancy through the unholy alchemy of “sophistication,” those acts of self-degradation flew off the pages of Playboy and into a very real sexual revolution.
In defense of Hefner’s cultural impact, the great Camille Paglia told the Hollywood Reporterlast week:
Hefner reimagined the American male as a connoisseur in the continental manner, a man who enjoyed all the fine pleasures of life, including sex. Hefner brilliantly put sex into a continuum of appreciative response to jazz, to art, to ideas, to fine food … and the art of seduction[.]
This is all true, but it is only true for some, very few actually, because those like Hefner who could afford “all the fine pleasures of life” could also financially afford to paper over the emotional and physical wreckage that comes with decadence.
No matter what the system looks like, America’s Beautiful People will always survive and flourish. But Hefner was the first to come along and warp the system into one where onlythe Beautiful People could survive and flourish.
And so, among those who could not afford “all the pleasures of life”; who could not afford the abortions, alimony, and child support; who did not look like a Playboy Bunny; and could not surround himself with Bunnies willing to not complicate his life after a loveless encounter — among us everyday folks who actually have to look into the eyes of life’s consequences, the casualties mounted…
Divorce, broken homes, bankruptcy,
generations of children raised by a single
parent, sexually-transmitted diseases,
addiction, AIDs, early death, loneliness,
despair, guilt, spiritual ruin, and 58 million
innocent children butchered in the one place
they should be safest, in their own mother’s
womb.
That was the analog fallout.
The digital fallout is somehow worse.
These days, one ill-considered click of your browser’s setting instantly reveals the truth, that pornography is a satanic drug, something that went from just being dirty, into something that is so unspeakably degrading towards women I dare not describe it.
Like any drug, in order to produce the desired effect, the potency must be increased and increased and increased… This means that with the hollow promise of Kardashianism, and after just a few months of living the dream as a porn queen in a meat market always looking for fresh meat, countless young women are being chewed up and spit out, their lives ruined forever by an Internet that is forever.
And those are the lucky ones, the ones who don’t try to heal a soul wounded by self-degradation with the kind of illegal drugs that can only be paid for through even more self-degradation.
On the other side of that computer screen is a generation of boys just a click away from a drug that will physically and mentally warp them into the dysfunctional freak Hefner himself eventually became — a lonely, frustrated recluse living in someone else’s decrepit home; a pathetic sex addict surrounded by a harem of living centerfolds, but one who could only perform with the aid of hardcore porn in one corner and his Bunnies pretending to have a lesbian orgy in the other.
Hefner was a media icon, a limousine leftist, the winner of countless First Amendment awards, and a warlock who manufactured a lifestyle filled with perfect cocktails, ideal stereo systems, the most comfortable leather slippers, and the prose of John Updike. But according to a number of witnesses, including late porn star Linda Lovelace, that was all a shiny veneer to cover over a hopeless degenerate who allegedly needed to see women get humped by German Shepards; a man who abandoned a wife and daughter; a man who even into his seventies slipped young women the Quaaludes he called “thigh openers.”
Yes, Hugh Hefner helped to spread freedom, but he is also a reminder of the many terrible costs that come with freedom.
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS ON AMERICA'S BIGGEST PIMPS AND THEIR ENABLERS!
Democratic senators give away sex harasser Harvey Weinstein's tainted cash - but the Clintons and Obama hang on to the millions he made for them
Ten senators announced they would hand cash given to them by Harvey Weinstein to charity after his sex shame was revealed
Elizabeth Warren, Patrick Leahy and Christine Gillbrand are among those making the move against one of the party's most significant donors and fundraisers
The Democratic National Committee is also giving away cash - but not all of it and not to charity
Weinstein opened his own checkbook and brought the Hollywood A-list to glittering events for the benefit of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton
The total he gave and helped raise runs into the millions, with DailyMail.com accounting for a declared total of $1.2 million he was directly responsible for
he also hosted a $1.5 million dinner in June 2016 for Hillary Clinton - among those in the room were Huma Abedin, wife of pervert Anthony Weiner
That does not include the parties he helped host, which were lucrative chances for Obama and Clinton to shake down showbusiness for cash
Democratic senators started handing back the fortune Harvey Weinstein has donated and helped raise on Friday as his ex shame was revealed.
But Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the biggest recipients of his support and generosity, remained silent over whether they would do the same.
Weinstein is one of the Democratic Party's most prolific donors, having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's campaigns alone.
One dinner in June 2016 which he hosted at his West Village home raised $1.8 million for Clinton, Deadline Hollywood reported.
But the movie producer was rapidly becoming persona non grata after he took a leave of absence from Miramax when it surfaced on Thursday that he had been accused of sexually harassing multiple women over the past two decades.
On Friday morning five liberal senators handed personal donations Weinstein had made to charity. More followed in the afternoon, among them Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader and therefore the party's most senior figure.
Patrick Leahy, the Vermont senator, was first out of the gate, giving $2,700 to charity, the Daily Beast reported.
+9
Bundler: Harvey Weinstein was a huge Hillary Clinton backer, hosting New York fundraisers and maxing out his own donations to her campaign
+9
Happy to be here: Hillary Clinton was the guest of honor as Harvey Weinstein held a fundraiser at his $15 million Manhattan home in June 2016, attended by Huma Abedin, her closest aide, whose pervert husband Anthony Weiner will go to prison next month for sexting a minor
+9
Alliance: The film mogul was one of Obama's top 40 'bundlers' during his 2012 re-election, bringing in $679,275 for the candidate
+9
Laughing liberal lion: Weinstein looked remarkably chipper and cheerful for an admitted sexual harasser as he left his home on Friday
Video playing bottom right...
Loaded: 0%
Progress: 0%
0:04
Pause
Unmute
Current Time0:04
/
Duration Time1:08
Fullscreen
ExpandClose
He was followed by Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Christine Gillbrand, of New York and Corey Booker of New Jersey.
In the afternoon came Schumer, Al Franken of Minnesota, Kamala Harris of California, and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Buzzfeed reported.
HARVEY THE DEMS' CASH MACHINE
Here are just some of the donations and fundraising Weinstein was behind according to public records
$679,275 raised as a 'bundler' for Obama's 2012 campaign - one of the top 40 in the country
$250,000 donations to the Democratic National Committee since 2003
$250,000 to the Clinton Foundation since 2003
$30,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund in 2016
$16,200 to Chuck Schumer in total
$5,400 - the legal maximum - to Clinton's campaignin 2016
$5,400 to Richard Blumenthal in 2016
$5,400 to Martin Heinrich in 2017
$5,400 to Al Franken in 2014
$5,000 to Elizabeth Warren in 2012
$10,000 to Corey Booker in 2013
Charities which aid abused women will be among those the cash goes to from the senators.
At least four of the senators - Warren, Booker, Harris and Gillbrand - are seen as having presidential ambitions.
Their moves leave Clinton and Obama open to mounting embarrassment and for the 2016 presidential loser, allegations of hypocrisy.
But the Democratic National Committee said it would give only give $30,000 away - Weinstein had donated $250,000 to it since 2003 - and not a cent to charity.
Instead it will go to groups which try to get female Democratic candidates elected.
Weinstein has held numerous star-studded campaign events to bring in Hollywood money for Clinton and Obama since 2008, and poured money into Democratic senate and congressional campaigns.
He was one of Obama's top 40 'bundlers' during his 2012 re-election, bringing in $679,275 for the candidate – and putting him in the same category as DreamWorks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and former Warner Bros. chairman Barry Meyer.
Weinstein also maxed out his personal contributions to Clinton with a $5,400 check to her 2016 campaign and $30,000 to her Hillary Victory Fund.
Since 2003, he has donated over $250,000 to the Democratic National Committee, which supports the election of the Democratic presidential nominee.
WHAT HARVEY GAVE THE CLINTONS...
$250,000 to the Clinton Foundation
$30,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund
$5,400 to Hillary Clinton's campaign
Unknown millions in donations from friends
...WHAT THE CLINTONS ARE GIVING BACK
$0
Weinstein gave another $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation and held multiple fundraising dinners for Hillary Clinton, who campaigned as a champion of women during her 2016 presidential run.
That total alone comes to more than $1.2 million - but that was the tip of the iceberg, as his ability to get A-listers and Hollywood's behind the scenes millionaires to come to parties made him a key part of the Democratic fundraising machine.
Clinton often spoke up against sexual assault during the election, even as opponents noted that multiple sexual harassment allegations were lodged against her husband, Bill Clinton, in the 1990s.
+9
Ally: Malia Obama was an intern with Weinstein in a sign of how close he was to both Barack and Michelle Obama
'Every survivor of sexual assault deserves to be heard, believed, and supported,' said Clinton on Twitter on Nov. 22, 2015.
She also highlighted inappropriate sexual comments made by her opponent, Donald Trump, as a reason he could not be trusted as president.
Clinton has continued to speak out against what she characterizes as Trump's sexism during her recent book tour.
'When I see women [supporting Trump], I think why are they publicly disrespecting themselves? Why are they opening the door to have someone say that about them in their workplace? In a community setting? Do they not see the connection there?' said Clinton.
But the latest allegations against Weinstein – which include claims that he asked female subordinates and actresses to watch him shower and gave unwanted massages – raises uncomfortable questions for Clinton and other Democrats about one of their top supporters.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that Weinstein has reached legal settlements with at least eight women over alleged inappropriate sexual behaviour.
In one case, actress Ashley Judd accused the movie mogul of inviting her to watch him shower during a business meeting in a hotel room in the 1990s.
Several of Weinstein's female employees have allegedly accused him of making unwanted advances on them or other women over the past few decades.
Weinstein was an early supporter of Clinton, backing her in her primary bid against Obama in 2008.
A timely and stunning statistic befitting the recent death of America’s patriarch of pornography: a shocking 110 million Americans -- over one-third of our population -- are saddled with a sexually transmitted disease. According to the New York Times,
The incidence of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis is increasing, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An estimated 110 million Americans now are infected with a sexually transmitted disease.
Chlamydia is the most common S.T.D., and the number of cases rose 4.7 percent from 2015 to 2016… Adolescents and young adult women have the highest rates of chlamydia: one survey found that 9.2 percent of girls aged 15 to 19 were infected… The rate of primary and secondary syphilis in 2016 is the highest it has been since 1993, and it increased among both men and women from 2015 to 2016. Men account for almost 90 percent of cases, and most are among men who have sex with men.
Rates of syphilis increased in every age group and all races, and they were highest among people in their twenties.
Additionally, more than one out of every six people aged 14 to 49 has genital herpes. (Thus the rise of all of the Valtrex commercials on TV.) Among many other tragic outcomes, the rampant rate of STDs in America is the real legacy of notorious sexual provocateur, Hugh Hefner. Thanks to the desire to make our own rules when it comes to sex, following the lead of Hefner and his like-minded moral deviants, we find ourselves with STD rates in the U.S. at an all-time high. According to the CDC, there are more than 20 million new cases of STDs in the United States every year. As CNN recently reported,
“STDs are out of control with enormous health implications for Americans,” said David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors. The coalition represents state, local and territorial health departments who focus on preventing STDs.
“If not treated, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis can have serious consequences, such as infertility, neurological issues, and an increased risk for HIV,” said Harvey.
Also among the “serious consequences” of many of these STDs: cancer. In addition to cervical cancer, which is caused by certain types of the STD, Human Papilloma Virus, just days ago, the Los Angeles Times reported on (surprise!) the “anal cancer epidemic” that exists among homosexual and bisexual men. The article notes that men who engage in homosexual activity are 100 times more likely to contract anal cancer than HIV-negative men “who exclusively have sex with women.” The article also declares that, “Some in the medical community have identified anal cancer as the next big crisis among HIV-infected gay and bisexual men.” I have breaking news for the medical community: there will always be a “next big crisis” looming for men who treat the human septic canal as a vagina.
Nevertheless, and no-doubt taking their cues from perverts like Hefner, this past July, Teen Vogue -- a magazine whose target audience is teenage girls -- took it upon themselves to instruct their young readers on the finer points of sodomy. The article, entitled “Anal Sex: What You Need to Know” and subtitled, “How to do it the RIGHT way,” declares itself to be “anal 101, for teens, beginners, and all inquisitive folk.” The garbage piece ends with this shocking admission:
That being said, yes, you will come in contact with some fecal matter. You are entering a butthole. It is where poop comes out. Expecting to do anal play and see zero poop isn’t particularly realistic. It’s NOT a big deal. Everyone poops. Everyone has a butt.
This, from a member of the “party of science.” Forgetting to floss one’s teeth every now and then is “NOT a big deal.” Hillary’s choice of pant suits is “NOT a big deal.” Global climate change is “NOT a big deal.” Choosing to engage in sodomy -- even once -- can have horrific life-changing -- even deadly -- consequences. Of course, “anal 101” neglects to mention the rampant disease associated with such disgusting behavior. In other words, like Hefner’s Playboy magazine, Teen Vogue is an accomplice in the shocking rise of STDs among America’s youth.
In a sick attempt to justify promoting evil and dangerous sexual activity, just as they have with killing children in the womb, the left has now stooped to “normalizing” (an STD is “pretty bad*ss; it’s like a sex wound”) and evencelebrating (with a “#ShoutYourStatus”) STDs. The perverse gotta pervert, I suppose. As Matt Barber concluded, political correctness needs to be declared an STD.
Of course, one need not contract an STD to suffer as a result of the plague of pornography. A 2015 UK Telegraph article on porn use among British youth contains a shocking revelation from a general practitioner (Sue):
“I’m afraid things are much worse than people suspect.” In recent years, Sue had treated growing numbers of teenage girls with internal injuries caused by frequent anal sex; not, as Sue found out, because she wanted to, or because she enjoyed it -- on the contrary -- but because a boy expected her to. “I’ll spare you the gruesome details,” said Sue, “but these girls are very young and slight and their bodies are simply not designed for that.”
No one’s body is “designed for that.” The boys were “expecting” such from their young girlfriends because they had bought into one of the many lies of porn. Instead of worrying over the condition of their skin or what earrings went with their new outfit, many of the young girls Sue was treating found themselvesbattling incontinence. Imagine the shame of a youth -- because they bought a favorite and common lie of the left (sex without consequences), the muscles of their rectum are stretched out such that they must live in daily fear of soiling themselves.
Furthermore, the porn saturation of America, along with most of the rest of the Western world, has resulted in longtime and widespread devastation that extends far beyond the physical. If you think “saturation” too strong, consider:
People watched 4,392,486,580 hours of porn on PornHub in 2015. Just to put that in perspective, that means that in one year, people around the world spent 501,425 years watching pornography -- on one porn site.
On PornHub, people watched 87,849,731,608 porn videos. As the porn site hastened to point out, that’s 12 porn videos viewed for every single person on the planet.
That, my friends, is the sad math of porn addiction. As a result, tens of millions of teens and adults worldwide have little to no idea what is a healthy sexual relationship, or, in many cases, how to have any type of a healthy relationship with those who share the gender of the objects of their sexual fantasies. Any notion of self-sacrifice and service to another is abandoned, and sex becomes an end unto itself. Regular porn consumers (especially men) literally lust after pornlike encounters in order to be sexually satisfied. In the minds of many men, porn has reduced women to a commodity to be consumed and an object to be abused (e.g., 50 Shades of Grey Dismay).
Breaking the bonds of trust between husbands and wives, porn has destroyedmillions of American marriages. Porn use within a marriage leads to a long list of troubling issues. A recent study revealed that once porn enters a marriage, the chances of divorce double. Driven by lust that was born of porn consumption, millions of young adult Americans are shunning marriage in favor of the hook-up culture.
Thus, whether born out of wedlock, killed in the womb, or forced to witness the destruction of the most important human relationship in their lives, over the last six-plus decades, tens of millions of American children have suffered because of their parents’ selfish sexual desires. As I’ve noted before, if these children survive the womb, they face a wide array of difficulties.
Hugh Hefner was prince of the pimps. He was a destroyer of lives and cultures. The level of his destruction is so wide and deep that it will only be fully known in the light of eternity. If you are trapped in his world, turn and flee now. There is hope and healing, and there are those who can help.
Trevor Grant Thomas
At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason.
Just as they once did for Bill Clinton in the wake of all his sex-harassment scandals, the Democratic Partyestablishment is closing ranks to defend another big lecher among themselves, this time Democratic Party megadonor and Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, in complete contravention to their stated ideals about 'equality.'
You'd think a guy like Weinstein would be a pariah if Democrats actually believed any of their stated platform about women's rights. But noooo... The fact that Lanny Davis, Anita Dunn, Lisa Bloom and other regulars from the Democratic Party have leaped forward to help Weinstein beat back bad press about his long and atrocious record of sexual harassment testifies to just how important Weinstein is to their rice bowl. It's not Hollywood that's defending Weinstein, it's Democrats.
Weinstein—who has been politically active for decades, backing a number of big name Democrats—has poured hundreds of thousands into campaigns and committees that include the likes of former President Barack Obama and failed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Weinstein has hosted numerous fundraisers for Obama and Clinton, with celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Matthew Broderick attending glitzy events for Clinton this past election cycle.
The Beacon calculated that Weinstein had given Democrats $600,000 since the early 2000s.
Now that it's clear that money for Democrats is at stake - and not just for Clinton and Obama, but for Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker, Kristen Gillebrand, Sid Blumenthal (no, not that one, the Connecticut pol), Al Franken, Elizabeth Warren, Dick Durbin and others cited by the Beacon, the picture couldn't be more obvious.
Sex harasssment? Sidling up to young performers and using your enormous power to hire and fire get your rocks off and your appetites sated? Eight sex-harassment payouts? All the things the Democrats and their feminist allies have been railing about for decades and throwing into the face of Republicans as part of their identity-politics, virtue-signaling schtick? Didn't Michelle Obama just declare that any woman who didn't vote for Hillary Clinton on account of her being a Democratic woman - voted against her own interests? Now they've got a guy like Weinstein to defend and defend him they are doing. Lanny Davis is a longtime Democratic operative dating from the Clinton era, so he's seen these sex-harassment defenses come and go. Anita Dunn is an Obama hipster with a soft spot for Mao Zedong. Lisa Bloom is Gloria Allred's spawn.
In Dunn's case, you can see that the Democrats are nervous about their party brand as they leap forward to save their whale donor. Her Washington. D.C. public relations firm put out a statement trying to address it, stating:
"Today you may have seen a news report indicating that our colleague Anita Dunn recently advised Harvey Weinstein. Anita was asked to speak with him by a friend. Harvey Weinstein and Miramax are not now and have never been clients of our firm or of Anita’s. If you know Anita, you can only imagine what she said to him. Our commitment to defending women’s rights remains as strong as ever."
Yeah, sure. Tell us another one.
It's not enough to obscure the real message they are sending, that it's ok to be a sex harasser and beast of the studio so long you are big enough and powerful enough to either be a big Democrat, as Bill Clinton was, or else bankroll Democrats, as Weinstein has. Sure, they're running for cover, getting pressure to give the money back, and the Hollywood press reports that it's getting embarrassing. But the reality remains.
The dollar signs in their eyes are just too big for their principles.
Nolte: Silence is Complicity – The Powerful Said Nothing as Harvey Weinstein’s Alleged Victims Piled Up
Thursday’s New York Timesbombshell, which has effectively ended Oscar-winning producer and Democrat super-donor Harvey Weinstein’s career, contains two equally disturbing pieces of news, only one of which the national media will report and explore.
The first, of course, involves three decades of sexual misconduct allegations against Weinstein, who has released a broad statement accepting “responsibility” for his behavior coupled with the claim that the Times got some things wrong.
The second bombshell, the one our national media is already sweeping under the rug, is that for twenty-plus years, many in Hollywood believed Weinstein was abusing his power to procure, harass, and manipulate young women, and no one said anything — not even the powerful.
The Times’ story opens with an allegation from former-movie star and strident leftwing feminist Ashley Judd:
Harvey Weinstein invited Ashley Judd to the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel for what the young actress expected to be a business breakfast meeting. Instead, he had her sent up to his room, where he appeared in a bathrobe and asked if he could give her a massage or she could watch him shower, she recalled in an interview.
Mr. Weinstein soon issued invitation after invitation, she said. Could he give her a massage? When she refused, he suggested a shoulder rub. She rejected that too, she recalled. He steered her toward a closet, asking her to help pick out his clothing for the day, and then toward the bathroom. Would she watch him take a shower? she remembered him saying.
“I said no, a lot of ways, a lot of times, and he always came back at me with some new ask,” Ms. Judd said. “It was all this bargaining, this coercive bargaining.”
According to Judd, this disturbing incident occurred in 1997 while she was shooting Kiss the Girls, the movie that, for a short while, would make her a major star. Then comes her most damning admission:
In speaking out about her hotel episode, Ms. Judd said in a recent interview, “Women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time, and it’s simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly.”
In other words, in Judd’s own mind, Weinstein had not only harassed her, but did so to numerous women. And she said nothing. Even at the peak of her Hollywood powers, she remained silent.
If the Times’ article proves accurate, Judd is far from alone. Over the course of a three-decade career, Weinstein reportedly settled eight sexual harassment complaints, including one with actress Rose McGowan, who presents herself today as the wokest of wokened feminists.
The Times claims that McGowan’s silence was purchased for a mere $100,000.
Silence, silence, silence… And all of this indefensible silence reportedly allowed Weinstein to use and abuse his company and staff as a sort of sexual harassment perpetual motion machine:
[A former employee] suspected that she and other female Weinstein employees, she wrote, were being used to facilitate liaisons with “vulnerable women who hope he will get them work.”
This pattern of alleged harassment went well beyond a leer, an indecent proposal, or ham-handed pass from a clumsy fat guy. It was downright creepy:
In interviews, eight women described varying behavior by Mr. Weinstein: appearing nearly or fully naked in front of them, requiring them to be present while he bathed or repeatedly asking for a massage or initiating one himself. The women, typically in their early or mid-20s and hoping to get a toehold in the film industry, said he could switch course quickly — meetings and clipboards one moment, intimate comments the next. One woman advised a peer to wear a parka when summoned for duty as a layer of protection against unwelcome advances.
Worse still, there are also allegations of outright sexual assault. In March of 2015, Italian model Ambra Battilana told police, “Weinstein had grabbed her breasts after asking if they were real and put his hands up her skirt.” Another settlement followed. More silence.
All these powerful people, all of these alleged victims, and no one went public.
So what about the entertainment media? Where the hell were they?
Variety’s editor-in-chief Claudia Eller told CNN Thursday that this was “the story we all tried to get for decades.” She added, “We knew there were settlements, but there was no paper trail. And unfortunately, alleged victims contacted refused to go on the record.”
But here is the thing; according to Peter Biskind’s 2004 non-fiction book Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film, Weinstein manipulated and pocketed the entertainment media in extraordinary ways. He hired countless “journalists” to work for his company in various capacities, offered them glamorous opportunities, and oftentimes threatened to pull advertising from publications working on negative stories. An entertainment media starved for Oscar campaign dollars simply could not afford to lose Hollywood’s most prolific Oscar-winner and advertiser.
Finally, there is just the simple truth that Weinstein’s appalling behavior was no secret in Hollywood. Whether it was his explosive temper, his bullying of anyone he could bully, or the alleged sexual harassment and assault, everyone knew, and no one did anything to stop it.
No one expects a vulnerable, fresh-off-the-bus-from-Ohio wannabe actress to drop a dime on a Harvey Weinstein. And we will probably never know just how many insecure and desperate Ohio girls he procured over the decades. But silence is complicity and a whole lot of powerful people, by their own admission, remained silent, even though they believed these Ohio girl-victims were piling up like cord wood.
And now we come to the part the national media will never-ever-ever go near…
You can bet the house that Bill and Hillary Clinton knew all about the rumors surrounding Weinstein’s indefensible behavior, and so did Barack and Michelle Obama, and so did every single Democrat who benefitted from Weinstein’s donations and mega-fundraising.
And even though they knew the truth, Variety still took Weinstein’s advertising money.
And even though, going all the way back to 1997, she believed Weinstein was a monstrous serial-harasser, Ashley Judd still worked with him in 2002’s Frida and 2009’s Crossing Over — still put on a pussy hat and lashed out against “sexist” President Trump before she ever went public with what she knew for a fact about Weinstein.
And even as the mainstream and entertainment media, even as Bigtime celebs called for the heads of Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly over alleged behavior that pales in comparison, they kept Harvey’s dirty little secret.
So why go public now?
Weinstein is 65 years-old, his company is reportedly going broke, and he has not produced a hit in nearly five years. In other words, he is an aging, washed-up hasbeen who can no longer do anything for Hollywood’s Ashley Judds and Varietys.
Harvey Weinstein’s world did not collapse this week because oh-so progressive Hollywood suddenly grew a conscience over all of those Ohio girls.
This is about score-settling, not feminism.
This is about payback, not making the world a better place.
These are bad people who allowed a bad man to get away with doing bad things for as long as he was useful to them — as long as the price paid by the Ohio girls was made up for in campaign donations to The Cause.
Rotting leftwing Hollywood, the co-opted entertainment media, the Democrat Party and its national media enablers… a wicked and entrenched system, enablers all, who are every bit as guilty as good ole’ Harvey.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.
Family friend of Las Vegas shooter says the mass murderer's girlfriend felt 'nervous and jittery' around him and he would sleep with prostitutes offered by casinos
He claims the gunman took up offers of free prostitutes from casinos
A family friend of the man who shot and killed 59 people in the deadliest mass shooting in American history has revealed details of the strained relationship between him and his girlfriend - as well as his liking of casino-sponsored prostitutes.
Australian businessman Adam Le Fevre was in a relationship with the sister of Marilou Danley – the partner of Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock, who killed 58 others and himself in the massacre on Sunday.
Mr Le Fevre told A Current Affair he went to Las Vegas with Paddock, 64, two years ago with his partner Liza and her sister Marilou, and had travelled to the Philippines with him twice, first in 2013.
He said Paddock was 'condescending' towards Ms Danley, 62, making her 'nervous and jittery', while also making the most of prostitutes offered to him by casinos.
Scroll down for video
+9
Adam Le Fevre (pictured) said Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock was gun-obsessed and a staunch defender of the right to bear arms. Mr La Fevre was in a relationship with the sister of Marilou Danley, Paddock's girlfriend
+9
He said Paddock (pictured centre) made Ms Danley feel 'nervous and jittery' and spoke to her in a condescending manner
+9
Mr Le Fevre went to Las Vegas with Paddock (pictured centre during a family hotel stay with partner Marilou and her sister Liza) two years ago and had travelled to the Philippines with him twice
+9
Pictured is a drone view of Paddock's house in 2015. The home was raided by police after the massacre that left 59 dead and close to 500 injured
Video playing bottom right...
Loaded: 0%
Progress: 0%
0:06
Pause
Unmute
Current Time0:06
/
Duration Time0:25
Fullscreen
ExpandClose
Referring to offers of free prostitutes offered to Paddock by casinos in Las Vegas, Mr Le Fevre said: 'I did have no questions that some of those offers had been accepted, yes'.
He said the relationship between the shooter and his partner was 'not loving' or 'caring'.
'I experienced Steve talking to Marilou in an abrupt manner at times. Marilou... seemed very nervous and jittery around Steve, he would talk in a condescending way at times.'
Mr Le Fervre said he was confident Ms Danley had no knowledge of the planned attack, in which when Paddock opened fire on a music festival from his suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay casino before shooting himself dead.
Stephen Paddock's secret life
Loaded: 0%
Progress: 0%
0:00
Previous
Play
Skip
Mute
Current Time0:00
/
Duration Time3:29
Fullscreen
Need Text
+9
Mr Le Fevre said Paddock had a room full of guns in his home at Mesquite, Nevada (pictured)
+9
Paddock shot dead 58 people and injured more than 500 on Sunday when he opened fire on a music festival
Dramatic video shows people fleeing the Las Vegas shooting
Loaded: 0%
Progress: 0%
0:00
Previous
Play
Skip
Mute
Current Time0:00
/
Duration Time1:44
Fullscreen
Need Text
'I think I know Marilou and the family well enough... and all of them a very loving family, and I believe if Marilou had the slightest inkling that something wasn't right, that she would've attempted to intervene and shared that with her family.'
Mr Le Fevre also revealed a photo of the pair taken via a drone, showing the pair in the backyard of Paddock's Nevada property.
'It is a very chilling thought to know that the person that is at the centre of the world's largest story at the moment was somebody that I knew, somebody that I was welcomed into their home, into their family, into their life.'
EXCLUSIVE: My wife and children 'are standing by me' claims Harvey Weinstein as he battles revelations of sexual harassment - and admits he has to 'earn the forgiveness' of Ashley Judd
Harvey Weinstein has revealed his wife is standing by him after news broke that he sexually harassed female employees and movie stars
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com
he expressed profound regret for inappropriate behavior towards women stretching back decades
He allegedly made a number of female employees massage him in his hotel room while he was naked, revealed a New York Times investigation
The studio head, 62, reached a settlement with Rose McGowan in 1997 for $100,000, one of at least eight he has paid out over the years
Weinstein also invited Ashley Judd to his hotel room for a meeting and then asked if she would watch him shower
The film mogul said he wants to 'earn the forgiveness' of actress Judd who accused him of repeatedly making indecent proposals to her 20 years ago
He is married to designer Georgina Chapman and the couple has two young children, with Weinstein also having three adult girls from his first marriage
The Oscar-winning producer said he would be taking a leave of absence to 'conquer his demons' and also apologized for his behavior in an official statement
Weinstein is now suing the New York Times for $50 million, saying that they didn't check all their claims with him; he's hired the lawyer who won Hulk Hogan's sex tape case against Gawker
Harvey Weinstein has revealed that he has had 'really tough conversations' with his family after the allegations of sexual harassment against him.
The Hollywood mogul said that he had to 'prove that I'm worthy' to his wife Georgina Chapman and his five children - but they were standing by him.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, Weinstein, 65, expressed profound regret for his inappropriate behavior towards women stretching back decades.
He said that 'I own my mistakes' and that included frank talks with Chapman, 41, a British fashion designer and actress, and his five children aged between four and 22.
Weinstein also wants to 'earn the forgiveness' of actress Ashley Judd who accused him of repeatedly making indecent proposals to her 20 years ago.
+20
Harvey Weinstein arrives at his home in NYC's West Village on Thursday night after revealing he has had 'really tough conversations' with his family after the allegations of sexual harassment against him
+20
Harvey Weinstein is seen leaving the back entrance to his office in New York before heading to his West Village home in New York on Thursday night
+20
Down and out in lower Manhattan: Weinstein was seen looking downcast earlier Thursday after news broke that he sexually harassed a number of female employees over the past three decades (above) in photos taken by DailyMail.com
+20
No good will: He made a number of female employees massage him in his hotel room while he was naked revealed a New York Times investigation
+20
Family: He is married to designer Georgina Chapman (above in February 2017) and the couple has two young children, with Weinstein also having three girls from his first marriage
Harvey Weinstein leaves his NYC office amid harassment allegations
Weinstein, who was photographed leaving his New York office late on Thursday and arriving home to his West Village pad, said: 'I have had tough conversations with my family, really tough ones but my family is standing with me.
'I have a journey and I have to prove to every person that's out there that I'm worthy of them and I have to prove to my family the same thing.
'This is going to be a journey, a lonely journey, but a journey where my wife and kids couldn't be stronger and couldn't be standing behind me more'.
Weinstein was named an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, by the Queen for his contribution to the British film industry in 2004.
The multiple Oscar-winning founder of film companies Miramax and The Weinstein Company spoke to DailyMail.com after the bombshell New York Times report revealed his long record of misconduct.
The New York Times said he had reached at least eight settlements with women including one who said she was coerced into giving him a massage while he was naked.
Weinstein is said to have asked a young Judd to watch him shower and paid Rose McGowan $100,000 under a settlement for an incident shortly before her breakthrough role in 'Scream'.
+20
Weinstein told DailyMail.com: 'I have had tough conversations with my family, really tough ones but my family is standing with me. He is seen clasping a mobile phone and paperwork as he arrives home on Thursday evening
+20
Weinstein leaves his New York office on Thursday night carrying paperwork before arriving home to his West Village home in New York
+20
'This is going to be a journey, a lonely journey, but a journey where my wife and kids couldn't be stronger and couldn't be standing behind me more,' he said
+20
+20
Sharing her story: Weinstein paid Rose McGowan (left) $100,000 and invited Ashley Judd (right) to his hotel room for a meeting and then asked if she would watch him shower
+20
Helping hand: Weinstein exited his office on Thursday with attorney Lisa Bloom (above), who is known for her work with victims of sexual harassment
+20
Heading for the hills: Weinstein sped off in his SUV up the West Side Highway after saying he would seek treatment
Harvey Weinstein dodges questions as he heads to work in New York
Speaking on the phone, Weinstein blamed his temperament for why he thought it was appropriate to behave in such a manner to young women who looked up to him as a way to gain a foothold in the movie industry.
He said: 'There's a difference between maybe what you're thinking (I was) behaving and anything else.
'The behaviour is more about temperament. I have a temper and it's not a good one so I think I act too imperiously.
'There's a difference between that any anything else'.
Weinstein, who has produced films like Pulp Fiction and Good Will Hunting, said that he was 'very remorseful to women and to men, everybody that I've offended'.
+20
Weinstein is spotted having lunch at Bar Pitti with wife Georgina Chapman and newborn daughter India Pearl, in the West Village, NYC back in October 2010. His family is standing by him
He said: 'I own all my mistakes and I have to deal with that'.
In the New York Times article Judd, 49, said that she was invited up to Weinstein's room while filming 1997 thriller Kiss the Girls. When she got there, she said, he appeared in a bathrobe and asked if he could massage her or watch him shower.
She remembered thinking to herself: 'How do I get out of the room as fast as possible without alienating Harvey Weinstein?'
She soon got another invitation and was asked to give him a shoulder rub. When she declined he asked her to watch him shower again.
Judd said: 'I said no, a lot of ways, a lot of times, and he always came back at me with some new ask. It was all this bargaining, this coercive bargaining'.
Asked about her claims Weinstein said: 'Here's what I feel about Ashley. She wrote a story in Variety (that did not name Weinstein but described the incident) that was one way, now she's remembering this way.
'My feeling is I read her book [the memoir 'All That is Bitter and Sweet'] about being abused as a child.
'Whatever Ashley wants to say about me, I'm going to be supportive. I need to earn her forgiveness. I thought we had a relationship at one time, the goal is to get that back. I salute her like everybody else does.'
He elaborated on those thoughts in an interview with Page Six, saying: 'I know Ashley Judd is going through a tough time right now... Her life story was brutal, and I have to respect her. In a year from now I am going to reach out to her.'
Judd also said in the interview that she didn't work with Weinstein again, although she did appear in two more of his movies - Frida in 2002 and Crossing Over in 2009.
+20
Kids: Weinstein and Chapman has a daughter India, 7, and four-year-old son Dashell (above in July)
+20
Daughter: Weinstein with daughter Lily at The Weinstein Company & Netflix's 2014 Golden Globes After Party
Harvey Weinstein's wife Georgina Chapman leaves her NYC apartment
McGowan reached a $100,000 settlement with Weinstein in 1997 when over the incident in a hotel room at the Sundance Film Festival. At the time she was 23 years old.
On Sunday McGowan tweeted obliquely about Weinstein, but did not mention any names, possibly because of the non-disclosure agreement she had signed at the end of the settlement.
'Anyone who does business with __ is complicit,' she wrote, 'And deep down you know you are even dirtier. Cleanse yourselves.'
'Women fight on,' she added. 'And to the men out there, stand up. We need you as allies. #bebrave'
She also wrote 'I want to buy the movie rights,' to which actress and director Asia Argento - best known for roles in xXx and Marie Antoinette - replied, 'I own the rights,' then added: 'It's gonna be the best movie of the last 20 years.'
McGowan responded to that by writing: 'We're gonna lobby for so many Oscars.'
Separately on Twitter, Judd tweeted a link to the NYT article, referencing 'decades of sexual harassment accusations'.
+20
Rose McGowan, who was named in the NYT story as having settled a sexual harassment suit against Weinstein took to social media after it was released, but did not name any names
+20
She also got into a jokey talk with actress and director Asia Argento, best known for her roles in xXx and Marie Antoinette
+20
Ashley Judd also tweeted on Sunday, sending out a link to the NYT article, and referencing Weinstein's 'decades of sexual harassment accusations'
Asked about the 1997 incident, Weinstein told DailyMail.com: 'I promised to keep the peace and that's how I feel about it.'
He also denied the New York Times' claim that he had reached eight settlements with women and said their reporting was 'not right'.
He said: 'With any company with have non-disclosure agreement and whatever and for all sorts of reasons we don't reveal that. It's in our interests to make sure people feel good, that's what we do.'
In a comment to Page Six, he said: 'No company ever talks about settlements, and neither does the recipient, so I don't know how the Times came to this conclusion, but it is pure conjecture, the reporters have made assumptions.'
Weinstein said that Lauren O'Connor, who sent a memo to executives at the Weinstein Company in 2015 detailed his sexual misconduct, ended up settling.
+20
Ex: Weinstein and first wife Eve Chilton
Weinstein said that The Weinstein Company hired Linda Fairstein, the former prosecutor known for investigating crimes against women, but the O'Connor withdrew her complaint and 'everybody sent nice letters to each other,' he told DailyMail.com.
Weinstein was also keen to point out that he was being targeted by forces that appear similar to those who turned on Hillary Clinton during her failed Presidential campaign.
Outside of the movie business Weinstein is a staunch supporter of liberal causes and has been a major fundraiser for the Democrats.
He said: 'There seems to be a group of people who are trying to finance a number of stories against me. I have to find out who they are.
'I'm not just owning my responsibilities, I know that. There are no excuses, but there are no excuses for people who are conservatives, Republicans, who are financing things against me in every area, be it personal, charitable, whatever.
'There's more at risk for the country but I worry about that in an era of fake news and these consortia that are financing news and I find myself a victim of it'.
In a statement when the allegations surfaced Weinstein said he has spent spent the last year taking counsel on gender power roles from Lisa Bloom, an attorney who has represented victims of sexual assault in prominent cases like Bill Cosby's trial.
And speaking to Page Six, he acknowledged that he has some way to go to improve his attitude towards women - and people in general.
'I have got to change, I've got to grow, I've got to deal with my personality, I've got to work on my temper, I have got to dig deep,' he said.
He said he was 'terribly embarrassed' for his company and staff, and suggested that he might book himself into a facility, or 'anywhere I can learn more about myself... I am going to fix myself, I am going to fix how I deal with women and how I deal with my temper and power.'
He added that he was seeing a therapist, ad well as talking to Bloom, and blamed some of his attitude on the environment that he grew up in.
'I came of age in the '60s and '70s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different,' he said. 'I worked at a record company that, if you were five minutes late, they'd hit you with a baseball bat.
'I also have the worst temper known to mankind, my system is all wrong, and sometimes I create too much tension. I lose it, and I am emotional, that's why I've got to spend more time with a therapist and go away.
'My temper makes people feel intimidated, but I don't even know when I'm doing it. In the past I used to compliment people, and some took it as me being sexual, I won't do that again. I admit to a whole way of behavior that is not good. I can't talk specifics, but I put myself in positions that were stupid, I want to respect women and do things better.'
Weinstein has also retained star litigator David Boies and Charles Hader, who successfully represented Hulk Hogan in his sex tape lawsuit against Gawker, and plans to sue the New York Times for $50 million for writing a story that is 'saturated with false and defamatory statements about Harvey Weinstein'.
They plan to sue the New York Times - which Weinstein claims has a vendetta against him - for $50 million.
'What I am saying is that I bear responsibility for my actions, but the reason I am suing is because of the Times' inability to be honest with me, and their reckless reporting,' he told Page Six. 'They told me lies. They made assumptions.'
'The Times had a deal with us that they would tell us about the people they had on the record in the story, so we could respond appropriately, but they didn’t live up to the bargain.
'The Times editors were so fearful they were going to be scooped by New York Magazine and they would lose the story, that they went ahead and posted the story filled with reckless reporting, and without checking all they had with me and my team.'
+20
Miramax: David Parfitt, Donna Gigliotti, Harvey Weinstein, Gwyneth Paltrow, Edward Zwick and Mark Norman at the 1999 Oscars after 'Shakespeare in Love' won Best Picture
Weinstein hard harsh words for the newspaper and claimed that their reporting was 'sloppy' and 'disingenuous' and complained that they were only given 24 hours to respond to comments.
He told DailyMail.com: 'I'm very remorseful to women and to men, everybody that I've offend. The New York Times however gave us, they had a six month investigation, they told us all along they would give us time… they said they would not have people off the record and they did.
'They said they would present every allegation to us, they did not, they left out seven or eight allegations.
'I grew up believing in the New York Times. I think now because of the Washington Post and the Wall St Journal being so f****** fantastic they're trying desperately to do things.
'They also have the reputation of being the New York Times, so which is it?
'They made a lot of mistakes in their reporting. They hurt innocent people.
'Me, I'm apologetic, I'm remorseful for all those people, any people that I hurt, I feel terrible but for the New York Times itself, you can't be this disingenuous, this sloppy, the poor an organization any more.
'You have to hold the New York Times accountable'.
A New York Times spokeswoman said: 'We are confident in the accuracy and fairness of our reporting.
'Mr Weinstein was aware and able to respond to specific allegations in our story before publication. In fact, we published his response in full'.
Harvey Weinstein quotes Jay Z in lengthy response
I came of age in the 60's and 70's, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then.
I have since learned it's not an excuse, in the office - or out of it. To anyone.
I realized some time ago that I needed to be a better person and my interactions with the people I work with have changed.
I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it.
Though I'm trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go. That is my commitment.
My journey now will be to learn about myself and conquer my demons. Over the last year I've asked Lisa Bloom to tutor me and she's put together a team of people.
I've brought on therapists and I plan to take a leave of absence from my company and to deal with this issue head on. I so respect all women and regret what happened.
I hope that my actions will speak louder than words and that one day we will all be able to earn their trust and sit down together with Lisa to learn more. Jay Z wrote in 4:44 'I'm not the man I thought I was and I better be that man for my children.' The same is true for me.
I want a second chance in the community but I know I've got work to do to earn it. I have goals that are now priorities. Trust me, this isn't an overnight process.
I've been trying to do this for 10 years and this is a wake-up call. I cannot be more remorseful about the people I hurt and I plan to do right by all of them.
I am going to need a place to channel that anger so I've decided that I'm going to give the NRA my full attention.
I hope Wayne LaPierre will enjoy his retirement party. I'm going to do it at the same place I had my Bar Mitzvah. I'm making a movie about our President, perhaps we can make it a joint retirement party.
One year ago, I began organizing a $5 million foundation to give scholarships to women directors at USC. While this might seem coincidental, it has been in the works for a year.
It will be named after my mom and I won't disappoint her.
The movie mogul exclusively explained why he gave a statement about being a “better person” while simultaneously hiring famed lawyer Charles Harder, who won a $140 million settlement for Hulk Hogan against Gawker, to sue the Times for $50 million.
Weinstein said, “What I am saying is that I bear responsibility for my actions, but the reason I am suing is because of the Times’ inability to be honest with me, and their reckless reporting. They told me lies. They made assumptions.
“The Times had a deal with us that they would tell us about the people they had on the record in the story, so we could respond appropriately, but they didn’t live up to the bargain.
“The Times editors were so fearful they were going to be scooped by New York Magazine and they would lose the story, that they went ahead and posted the story filled with reckless reporting, and without checking all they had with me and my team.”
He added that he believes the paper — which published a long negative piece about Weinstein’s dealings with amfAR a week ago — has a vendetta against him.
Weinstein explained, “They never wrote about the documentary I did with Jay-Z about Rikers Island, they never write that I raised $50 million for amfAR, nor my work with Robin Hood — instead they focus on trying to bring me down. This is a vendetta, and the next time I see [Times executive editor] Dean Baquet, it will be across a courtroom.”
Weinstein said the Times had based their story entirely on a 2014 memo written by employee Lauren O’Connor, which alleged sexual harassment and other misconduct by Weinstein.
He explained, “The Times used that entire memo as the basis of their story, but in reality it was withdrawn two days after it was written, O’Connor withdrew her complaint, and withdrew her claims made in the memo. The document doesn’t stand up.”
Of the accounts in the story, he declined to go into specifics about what was true or false, but continued, “They spent six months researching this article, then they gave us just 24 hours to answer it.”
Weinstein continued, “I know Ashley Judd is going through a tough time right now, I read her book [her memoir ‘All That Is Bitter and Sweet’], in which she talks about being the victim of sexual abuse and depression as a child. Her life story was brutal, and I have to respect her. In a year from now, I am going to reach out to her.”
Ashley Judd and Harvey Weinstein at a 1997 Oscar party
After the alleged incident, which Judd told the Times was while filming “Kiss The Girls,” she appeared at an Academy Awards party where she was photographed with Weinstein.
Judd also claimed to the Times she never worked with Weinstein again, but in fact she did two movies with him — “Frida,” which came out in 2002, and “Crossing Over” with Harrison Ford, released in 2009.
When asked about the Times reporting that he has reached at least eight settlements with women — including a young assistant in New York in 1990, actress Rose McGowan, an assistant in London in 1998, an Italian model in 2015 and O’Connor — he told The Post, “No company ever talks about settlements, and neither does the recipient, so I don’t know how the Times came to this conclusion, but it is pure conjecture, the reporters have made assumptions.”
Harvey Weinstein and Rose McGowan at the “Grindhouse” premiere in 2007Jeff Kravitz
But Weinstein does admit he needs to treat staffers and other people better. “I have got to change, I’ve got to grow, I’ve got to deal with my personality, I’ve got to work on my temper, I have got to dig deep. I know a lot of people would like me to go into a facility, and I may well just do that — I will go anywhere I can learn more about myself. I want to be able to look at the people I have hurt and say, ‘I am sorry, I have changed and I’ve progressed.’ I am terribly embarrassed for my company, my staff and the only person who could fix this is me. I am going to fix myself, I am going to fix how I deal with women and how I deal with my temper and power.” He is seeing a therapist and also being advised by attorney Lisa Bloom, a famed advocate for women.
“I came of age in the ’60s and ’70s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. I worked at a record company that, if you were five minutes late, they’d hit you with a baseball bat.
“I also have the worst temper known to mankind, my system is all wrong, and sometimes I create too much tension. I lose it, and I am emotional, that’s why I’ve got to spend more time with a therapist and go away. My temper makes people feel intimidated, but I don’t even know when I’m doing it. In the past I used to compliment people, and some took it as me being sexual, I won’t do that again. I admit to a whole way of behavior that is not good. I can’t talk specifics, but I put myself in positions that were stupid, I want to respect women and do things better.”
Of his wife, Marchesa fashion designer Georgina Chapman, Weinstein added, “She stands 100 percent behind me. Georgina and I have talked about this at length. We went out with Lisa Bloom last night when we knew the article was coming out. Georgina will be with Lisa and others kicking my ass to be a better human being and to apologize to people for my bad behavior, to say I’m sorry, and to absolutely mean it.”
The New York Times has said that it is “confident in the accuracy” of its reporting. “Mr. Weinstein was aware and able to respond to specific allegations in our story before publication. In fact, we published his response in full,” a spokesperson said.
You may have heard by now that Hollywood mega-movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who owns a major company that has produced some of the most famous movies and their stars, is in a whole lot of trouble after decades of engaging in alleged sexual harassment and potential sexual assault.
Two decades ago, the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein invited Ashley Judd to the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel for what the young actress expected to be a business breakfast meeting. Instead, he had her sent up to his room, where he appeared in a bathrobe and asked if he could give her a massage or she could watch him shower, she recalled in an interview.
In 2014, Mr. Weinstein invited Emily Nestor, who had worked just one day as a temporary employee, to the same hotel and made another offer: If she accepted his sexual advances, he would boost her career, according to accounts she provided to colleagues who sent them to Weinstein Company executives. The following year, once again at the Peninsula, a female assistant said Mr. Weinstein badgered her into giving him a massage while he was naked, leaving her “crying and very distraught,” wrote a colleague, Lauren O’Connor, in a searing memo asserting sexual harassment and other misconduct by their boss.
Harvey isn't denying the allegations made by a number of women, saying in a statement, "I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it. Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go."
But Harvey isn't just a movie guy, he's also a massive donor to the Democrat Party. One of his big recipients? Hillary Clinton. In fact, he was a fundraising bundler for her 2016 campaign.
But where is Clinton on this issue? After all, she is the former Democrat presidential candidate who argued all women should be believed when making allegations of sexual harassment or assault.
She's silent, just as she was when Bill Clinton was accused of doing the same thing. After all, it's the politically expedient thing to do.
The RNC has called on Democrats who have received "dirty" money from Weinstein to return it.
"During three-decades worth of sexual harassment allegations, Harvey Weinstein lined the pockets of Democrats to the tune of three quarters of a million dollars. If Democrats and the DNC truly stand up for women like they say they do, then returning this dirty money should be a no brainer," RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney-McDaniel said Friday.
Some Democrats have done so, others like Hillary and Senator Elizabeth Warren, have not. Neith
“The cost of the Dream Act is far bigger than the Democrats or their media
allies admit. Instead of covering 690,000 younger illegals now enrolled in
former President Barack Obama’s 2012 “DACA” amnesty, the Dream Act
Erecting a monument to the Obama presidency is a task best handled quickly, before the seeds of disaster planted in Iran, the federal debt, and the FISA Court (among other places) come to full flower. And despite promises of private funding, taxpayers are going to have to cough up, even in Illinois, a fiscal dead man walking with pension obligations that dwarf the taxing capacity of the state and the City of Chicago. Barack's plans for a monument to his glory will not be thwarted by mere politicians or community groups.
Senate President John Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan – the Chicago Democrats who control the Illinois General Assembly – are mapping plans for the state to help pay for infrastructure improvements in and around Jackson Park related to the Obama Presidential Center.
The two leaders "are looking for a commitment from the governor to support road projects that would support the Obama Presidential Center," Cullerton told the Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday. (snip)
Cullerton said the matter was discussed at a Sept. 19 meeting at the Bilandic Building with the Democrats and the Republican House and Senate leaders, Jim Durkin and Bill Brady.
A source told the Sun-Times that over time, the state could be asked for more than $100 million for transportation improvement projects triggered by construction of the Center.
Sources tell Chicago Tonight there have been bipartisan talks among lawmakers for $100 million in capital funding to assist with the Obama Presidential Center. It is similar to a proposal from House Speaker Michael Madigan a year and a half ago, who had dangled the money in the hopes of helping land the museum. That proposal did not go anywhere, even though the city did ultimately wind up with the winning bid.
At the time, Madigan said it was a good use of state money to honor a son of Illinois and the first African-American president. The Obama Foundation has pledged not to use any public funding for the project, but the mayor has talked about the fact that there would be big infrastructure and transit needs around it, including the closing of Cornell Drive. That's the six-lane highway that the campus would be built over. The city has proposed to realign other streets in the area to handle the excess traffic.
There have also been rumblings in the community about possibly extending the 63rd Street Green Line CTA branch all the way to Jackson Park, along with other transit or infrastructure upgrades that would need to happen to make the museum possible. The Obama Foundation maintained that the actual building itself would be free of any taxpayer funding.
"Construction and maintenance will be funded by private donations and no taxpayer money will go to the foundation," said Obama Foundation spokesperson Kate Berner.
A hundred million dollars is a lot of taxpayer money to commemorate a man who wasn't even born in Illinois and who no longer lives there. D.C., New York, and Hawaii all have charms that Illinois lacks, as far as Mr. and Mrs. O are now concerned. But supporters of the monument to the first African-American president want no burdens placed upon the library. For instance:
Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th), who will have the center built in her ward in Jackson Park, said at her ward meeting this week that she won't support a community benefits agreement if the idea comes to the City Council.
Frankly, these are the sort of demands that always come up when any major project is announced. Often, they are made in the name of racial justice, when the builders are perceived as rich and white. The Obamas may be rich, and Barack may be half white, but different rules apply:
"We haven't even waited to see what unfolds before we come out with demands," Hairston told activists. "You're getting caught up in a name instead of what the end product is."
Without Hairston, the ordinance will have a difficult time getting through the Council, according to Dick Simpson, a political science professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a former alderman.
Barack Obama's connection with Chicago's African-American community is solid and enduring. Nevertheless, it's being tested, thanks to a cluster of South Side community groups. They demand a contract to lock in benefits they anticipate from the planned Obama Presidential Center. The leader who got his start as a community organizer now finds himself on the receiving end of community activism. It's a new role for Obama, who in the 1980s was handing out leaflets and training activists in church basements.
What do South Siders surrounding the proposed Obama Center in Jackson Park want? It's quite a list: The majority of jobs generated by the center would be set aside for South Siders, especially youths, seniors, ex-offenders and people who reside in low-income housing. The groups also want "a significant, guaranteed" amount of affordable housing built around the center. Also job training programs, the restoration of a bus route, improvements to the Metra Electric line, and an assurance that development spurred by the center won't displace longtime residents.
All of this, they say, should be cemented by a "community benefits agreement," a pact between developer and community that maps out a project's benefits and locks them in with a binding document. A CBA in Los Angeles for the Staples Center, home of the Lakers, gave the community a job training program, affordable housing, park improvements and extra residential parking. A similar pact in Pittsburgh for the Penguins' new hockey arena produced $8.3 million in jobs and neighborhood improvements.
Does anyone actually believe that Barack Obama will be held to the same standards as others? When has that ever happened?
Hat tip: Peter von Buol
THE OBAMA COUP: IT STARTED IN CHARLOTTESVILLE
"We know that Obama and his inner circle have set up a war room in his D.C.
home to plan and execute resistance to the Trump administration and his legislative
agenda. None of these people care about the American people, or the fact that
Trump won the election because millions of people voted for him."
"Cold War historian Paul Kengor goes deeply into Obama's communist background in an article in American Spectator, "Our First Red Diaper Baby President," and in an excellent Mark Levin interview. Another Kengor article describes the Chicago communists whose younger generation include David Axelrod, Valerie Jarrett, and Barack Hussein Obama. Add the openly Marxist, pro-communist Ayers, and you have many of the key players who put Obama into power." Karin McQuillan
UNDERWAY: THE OBAMA COUP FOR A THIRD TERM FOR LIFE… for 8 years he laid the groundworks for his Muslim-style dictatorship.
“Obama’s new home in Washington has been described as the “nerve center” of the anti-Trump opposition. Former attorney general Eric Holder has said that Obama is “ready to roll” and has aligned himself with the “resistance.” Former high-level Obama campaign staffers now work with a variety of groups organizing direct action against Trump’s initiatives. “Resistance School,” for example, features lectures by former campaign executive Sara El-Amine, author of the Obama Organizing .”
WALL STREET TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: DIE YOUNG… your company pension dies with you!
"These figures present a scathing indictment of the social order that prevails in America, the world’s wealthiest country, whose government proclaims itself to be the globe’s leading democracy. They are just one manifestation of the human toll taken by the vast and all-pervasive inequality and mass poverty.
AMERICA UNRAVELS:
Millions of children go hungry as the super- rich gorge themselves and ILLEGALS SUCK IN BILLIONS IN WELFARE!
*
"The top 10 percent of Americans now own roughly three-quarters of all household wealth."
“The watchdogs at Judicial Watch discovered documents that reveal how the Obama administration's close coordination with the Mexican government entices Mexicans to hop over the fence and on to the American dole.” Washington Times
"These figures present a scathing indictment of the social order that prevails in America, the world’s wealthiest country, whose government proclaims itself to be the globe’s leading democracy. They are just one manifestation of the human toll taken by the vast and all-pervasive inequality and mass poverty.
MEXICO: AMERICA’S DRUG DEALER!
OBAMA-CLINTONOMICS to serve the filthy rich.
The same period has seen a massive growth of social inequality, with income and wealth concentrated at the very top of American society to an extent not seen since the 1920s.
“This study follows reports released over the past several months documenting rising mortality rates among US workers due to drug addiction and suicide, high rates of infant mortality, an overall leveling off of life expectancy, and a growing gap between the life expectancy of the bottom rung of income earners compared to those at the top.”
The Obamas are set to buy a multi-million-dollar Manhattan apartment in the posh Upper East Side building where Gloria Vanderbilt's son jumped to his death in 1988
The Obamas might be looking to buy an apartment in the historic Upper East Side building 10 Gracie Square
There are currently four apartments for sale in the building - one is the penthouse where Jean Stein and Carter Vanderbilt-Cooper jumped to their deaths nearly 30 years apart
One of the four up for sale went under contract last week and is a $10million duplex with five bedrooms
The Obamas could be looking to buy an apartment in a historic Upper East Side apartment building in Manhattan.
Multiple sources told Page Six that the former President and first lady have been looking at an apartment in 10 Gracie Square.
There are currently four apartments for sale in the building, one of which is a penthouse where author Jean Stein and Carter Vanderbilt-Cooper jumped to their deaths.
In 1988 Carter Vanderbilt-Cooper - the brother of Anderson Cooper and the son of Gloria Vanderbilt, who owned the apartment, - came into her bedroom after an afternoon nap and seemed distraught before running up to the balcony and jumping to his death.
A few years later Vanderbilt sold the penthouse to heiress Stein, who then jumped to her death in May 2017.
+11
The Obamas are looking to buy an apartment in a historic Upper East Side apartment building in Manhattan. They are pictured together in Hawaii in December 2016
+11
Multiple sources told Page Six that the former President and first lady have been looking at an apartment in 10 Gracie Square, pictured
+11
+11
There are currently four apartments for sale in the building, one of which is a penthouse where author Jean Stein and Carter Vanderbilt-Cooper jumped to their deaths. In 1988 the son of Gloria Vanderbilt, who owned the apartment, came into her bedroom after an afternoon nap and seemed distraught before running to the balcony and jumping to his death. A few years later Vanderbilt sold the penthouse to Stein, who then jumped to her death in May 2017
Of the four apartments that are up for sale, one went under contract last week, which is not the tragic penthouse.
Real estate insiders have speculated that this 10th floor apartment could be the Obamas' new apartment, according to Page Six, but that has not been confirmed.
The apartment is a duplex worth $10million designed by architect Daniel Romualdez.
It has five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a library with a wood-burning fireplace and views of the East River and Queens.
The historic apartment building was built in 1930 and is between East End Avenue and East River Drive. It is also near the mayor's home.
The building, which the former first couple have allegedly been to for multiple viewings, has 43 apartments and 15 floors.
Multiple notables have lived there in the past - including Gloria Vanderbilt, conductor Andre Kostelanetz and New Yorker critic Alexander Woollcott.
At the time the building was completed residents could dock their boats outside. It has been home to old New York families from Whitney to Mellons, as well as Madame Chiang Kai-shek.
And now the Obamas could join that list.
+11
The historic apartment building was built in 1930 and is between East End Avenue and East River Drive. It is also near the mayor's home
+11
The building, which the former first couple have allegedly been to for multiple viewings, has 43 apartments and 15 floors. One of the four apartments for sale is pictured
+11
Of the four apartments that are up for sale, one went under contract last week. Pictured is one of the four that are up for sale
+11
Real estate insiders have speculated that a $10million duplex now in contract could be the Obamas' new apartment, according to Page Six, but that has not been confirmed. Pictured is one of the rooms in an apartment that is up for sale
+11
The apartment that is currently under contract has five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a library with a wood-burning fireplace and views of the East River and Queens
+11
What is likely one of the most attractive aspects of the apartment complex is an underground drive-in garage which could allow the couple to enter and exit their apartment safely and without having to step outside. Pictured is the master bedroom in one of the apartments which is up for sale
+11
Barack and Michelle could easily afford the apartment - given that the bidding rights for their joint book deal was upwards of $60million
What is likely one of the most attractive aspects of the apartment complex is an underground drive-in garage which could allow the couple to enter and exit their apartment safely and without having to step outside.
The building also has a gym and indoor basketball court.
Barack and Michelle can easily afford the apartment - given that the bidding rights for their joint book deal was upwards of $60million.
The four apartments in the storied building that are on the market are a five bedroom on the sixth floor, asking price $15,000,000; the five-bedroom penthouse with the double suicide history, on the market for $12,750,000 after a price cut; the tenth floor five-bedroom that is in contract; and a sixth floor two-bedroom apartment on the market for $3,500,000.
Earlier this year the couple purchased a nine-bedroom, 8,200-square-foot mansion in a wealthy Washington, DC neighborhood for $8.1million.
Thursday’s New York Timesbombshell, which has effectively ended Oscar-winning producer and Democrat super-donor Harvey Weinstein’s career, contains two equally disturbing pieces of news, only one of which the national media will report and explore.
The first, of course, involves three decades of sexual misconduct allegations against Weinstein, who has released a broad statement accepting “responsibility” for his behavior coupled with the claim that the Times got some things wrong.
The second bombshell, the one our national media is already sweeping under the rug, is that for twenty-plus years, many in Hollywood believed Weinstein was abusing his power to procure, harass, and manipulate young women, and no one said anything — not even the powerful.
The Times’ story opens with an allegation from former-movie star and strident leftwing feminist Ashley Judd:
Harvey Weinstein invited Ashley Judd to the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel for what the young actress expected to be a business breakfast meeting. Instead, he had her sent up to his room, where he appeared in a bathrobe and asked if he could give her a massage or she could watch him shower, she recalled in an interview.
Mr. Weinstein soon issued invitation after invitation, she said. Could he give her a massage? When she refused, he suggested a shoulder rub. She rejected that too, she recalled. He steered her toward a closet, asking her to help pick out his clothing for the day, and then toward the bathroom. Would she watch him take a shower? she remembered him saying.
“I said no, a lot of ways, a lot of times, and he always came back at me with some new ask,” Ms. Judd said. “It was all this bargaining, this coercive bargaining.”
According to Judd, this disturbing incident occurred in 1997 while she was shooting Kiss the Girls, the movie that, for a short while, would make her a major star. Then comes her most damning admission:
In speaking out about her hotel episode, Ms. Judd said in a recent interview, “Women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time, and it’s simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly.”
In other words, in Judd’s own mind, Weinstein had not only harassed her, but did so to numerous women. And she said nothing. Even at the peak of her Hollywood powers, she remained silent.
If the Times’ article proves accurate, Judd is far from alone. Over the course of a three-decade career, Weinstein reportedly settled eight sexual harassment complaints, including one with actress Rose McGowan, who presents herself today as the wokest of wokened feminists.
The Times claims that McGowan’s silence was purchased for a mere $100,000.
Silence, silence, silence… And all of this indefensible silence reportedly allowed Weinstein to use and abuse his company and staff as a sort of sexual harassment perpetual motion machine:
[A former employee] suspected that she and other female Weinstein employees, she wrote, were being used to facilitate liaisons with “vulnerable women who hope he will get them work.”
This pattern of alleged harassment went well beyond a leer, an indecent proposal, or ham-handed pass from a clumsy fat guy. It was downright creepy:
In interviews, eight women described varying behavior by Mr. Weinstein: appearing nearly or fully naked in front of them, requiring them to be present while he bathed or repeatedly asking for a massage or initiating one himself. The women, typically in their early or mid-20s and hoping to get a toehold in the film industry, said he could switch course quickly — meetings and clipboards one moment, intimate comments the next. One woman advised a peer to wear a parka when summoned for duty as a layer of protection against unwelcome advances.
Worse still, there are also allegations of outright sexual assault. In March of 2015, Italian model Ambra Battilana told police, “Weinstein had grabbed her breasts after asking if they were real and put his hands up her skirt.” Another settlement followed. More silence.
All these powerful people, all of these alleged victims, and no one went public.
So what about the entertainment media? Where the hell were they?
Variety’s editor-in-chief Claudia Eller told CNN Thursday that this was “the story we all tried to get for decades.” She added, “We knew there were settlements, but there was no paper trail. And unfortunately, alleged victims contacted refused to go on the record.”
But here is the thing; according to Peter Biskind’s 2004 non-fiction book Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film, Weinstein manipulated and pocketed the entertainment media in extraordinary ways. He hired countless “journalists” to work for his company in various capacities, offered them glamorous opportunities, and oftentimes threatened to pull advertising from publications working on negative stories. An entertainment media starved for Oscar campaign dollars simply could not afford to lose Hollywood’s most prolific Oscar-winner and advertiser.
Finally, there is just the simple truth that Weinstein’s appalling behavior was no secret in Hollywood. Whether it was his explosive temper, his bullying of anyone he could bully, or the alleged sexual harassment and assault, everyone knew, and no one did anything to stop it.
No one expects a vulnerable, fresh-off-the-bus-from-Ohio wannabe actress to drop a dime on a Harvey Weinstein. And we will probably never know just how many insecure and desperate Ohio girls he procured over the decades. But silence is complicity and a whole lot of powerful people, by their own admission, remained silent, even though they believed these Ohio girl-victims were piling up like cord wood.
And now we come to the part the national media will never-ever-ever go near…
You can bet the house that Bill and Hillary Clinton knew all about the rumors surrounding Weinstein’s indefensible behavior, and so did Barack and Michelle Obama, and so did every single Democrat who benefitted from Weinstein’s donations and mega-fundraising.
And even though they knew the truth, Variety still took Weinstein’s advertising money.
And even though, going all the way back to 1997, she believed Weinstein was a monstrous serial-harasser, Ashley Judd still worked with him in 2002’s Frida and 2009’s Crossing Over — still put on a pussy hat and lashed out against “sexist” President Trump before she ever went public with what she knew for a fact about Weinstein.
And even as the mainstream and entertainment media, even as Bigtime celebs called for the heads of Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly over alleged behavior that pales in comparison, they kept Harvey’s dirty little secret.
So why go public now?
Weinstein is 65 years-old, his company is reportedly going broke, and he has not produced a hit in nearly five years. In other words, he is an aging, washed-up hasbeen who can no longer do anything for Hollywood’s Ashley Judds and Varietys.
Harvey Weinstein’s world did not collapse this week because oh-so progressive Hollywood suddenly grew a conscience over all of those Ohio girls.
This is about score-settling, not feminism.
This is about payback, not making the world a better place.
These are bad people who allowed a bad man to get away with doing bad things for as long as he was useful to them — as long as the price paid by the Ohio girls was made up for in campaign donations to The Cause.
Rotting leftwing Hollywood, the co-opted entertainment media, the Democrat Party and its national media enablers… a wicked and entrenched system, enablers all, who are every bit as guilty as good ole’ Harvey.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.
Hollywood Reporter: Weinstein Sure Puts The Obamas, Clintons In A Pickle, Eh?
ED MORRISSEYPosted at 10:01 am on October 6, 2017
Why yes, yes he does, and the source for this seems remarkable, too. The Hollywood Reporter has a track record of remarkable balance, so it’s not a case of arguing against interests. However, its status as a significant part of the entertainment media industry will force the question of culpability to the forefront, especially given Harvey Weinstein’s prominence in campaigns for the two dominant forces in Democratic politics over the last quarter-century:
Weinstein was a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton’s recent presidential run and donated to her political campaigns about 10 times between 1999 and 2016, according to a review of campaign finance records.
Weinstein’s donations to Clinton over the years total more than $20,000 and span from her successful campaign for U.S. Senate in New York in 2000 to her unsuccessful presidential campaigns of 2007 and 2016. He also donated to her husband’s presidential campaigns in the 1990’s. …
Weinstein threw a fundraiser for Clinton in June 2016 at his home in Manhattan, co-hosted by several A-list actors. He also reportedly attended several other fundraisers for Clinton in New York City during the campaign. Hollywood, generally, was firmly behind Clinton’s campaign, so Weinstein was not alone in his support for the former secretary of state.
Nor was Hillary Clinton alone in benefiting from Weinstein’s largesse. If anything, Weinstein went even more all-in for Barack Obama, turning into a major force for fundraising in Hollywood:
He also hosted fundraisers benefiting Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012 and donated several times to his campaign in 2011 and 2012. Weinstein was considered a “bundler” for Obama’s campaign, as he raised $679,275 for it.
Give the Hollywood Reporter credit for laying this at the feet of the people who most benefit from Hollywood’s political activism, and the crony relationship the Clintons and Obama enjoy with industry leaders. With the New York Times blowing the lid off of Weinstein’s track record, now people have come forward to call his behavior an “open secret” in Hollywood. If so, it’s tough to believe that the Clintons were never warned about it or found evidence for it in their dealings with Weinstein over the last 25 years. (One clear indication that Obama didn’t know: he allowed his daughter Malia to intern with Weinstein.)
While we’re giving THR credit, let’s note that not everyone in the entertainment industry showed the same testicular fortitude. Grabien surveyed last night’s talk shows and came up empty for Weinstein references, save one:
One might think that after one of the biggest names in Hollywood — someone whose made a name for himself working alongside progressive and feminist causes — was shockingly revealed as having covered up decades of sexual abuse, America’s late-night hosts would have a field day.
Instead, Jimmy Fallon, Trevor Noah, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, and Stephen Colbert came up … dry.
The only mention of Harvey Weinstein on all of the late-night shows combined came on “The Daily Show,” during a segment on Cam Newton. The “joke,” featured above, was literally nothing more than Noah pretending to be Cam Newton and saying to reporters at a press conference “Look, Harvey Weinstein!”
Of course not. Some of these people might want a job from Weinstein down the road. It’s a lot safer in Hollywood to mock conservatives than it is to speak truth to actual power. They’re not courageous — they’re ankle-biters with fawning audiences.
Speaking of which, when will Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama step up and denounce their bundler and benefactor? The silence thus far is deafening.
Democratic senators give away sex harasser Harvey Weinstein's tainted cash - but the Clintons and Obama hang on to the millions he made for them
Ten senators announced they would hand cash given to them by Harvey Weinstein to charity after his sex shame was revealed
Elizabeth Warren, Patrick Leahy and Christine Gillbrand are among those making the move against one of the party's most significant donors and fundraisers
The Democratic National Committee is also giving away cash - but not all of it and not to charity
Weinstein opened his own checkbook and brought the Hollywood A-list to glittering events for the benefit of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton
The total he gave and helped raise runs into the millions, with DailyMail.com accounting for a declared total of $1.2 million he was directly responsible for
he also hosted a $1.5 million dinner in June 2016 for Hillary Clinton - among those in the room were Huma Abedin, wife of pervert Anthony Weiner
That does not include the parties he helped host, which were lucrative chances for Obama and Clinton to shake down showbusiness for cash
Democratic senators started handing back the fortune Harvey Weinstein has donated and helped raise on Friday as his ex shame was revealed.
But Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the biggest recipients of his support and generosity, remained silent over whether they would do the same.
Weinstein is one of the Democratic Party's most prolific donors, having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's campaigns alone.
One dinner in June 2016 which he hosted at his West Village home raised $1.8 million for Clinton, Deadline Hollywood reported.
But the movie producer was rapidly becoming persona non grata after he took a leave of absence from Miramax when it surfaced on Thursday that he had been accused of sexually harassing multiple women over the past two decades.
On Friday morning five liberal senators handed personal donations Weinstein had made to charity. More followed in the afternoon, among them Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader and therefore the party's most senior figure.
Patrick Leahy, the Vermont senator, was first out of the gate, giving $2,700 to charity, the Daily Beast reported.
+9
Bundler: Harvey Weinstein was a huge Hillary Clinton backer, hosting New York fundraisers and maxing out his own donations to her campaign
+9
Happy to be here: Hillary Clinton was the guest of honor as Harvey Weinstein held a fundraiser at his $15 million Manhattan home in June 2016, attended by Huma Abedin, her closest aide, whose pervert husband Anthony Weiner will go to prison next month for sexting a minor
+9
Alliance: The film mogul was one of Obama's top 40 'bundlers' during his 2012 re-election, bringing in $679,275 for the candidate
+9
Laughing liberal lion: Weinstein looked remarkably chipper and cheerful for an admitted sexual harasser as he left his home on Friday
Video playing bottom right...
Loaded: 0%
Progress: 0%
0:19
Pause
Unmute
Current Time0:19
/
Duration Time0:30
Fullscreen
ExpandClose
He was followed by Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Christine Gillbrand, of New York and Corey Booker of New Jersey.
In the afternoon came Schumer, Al Franken of Minnesota, Kamala Harris of California, and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Buzzfeed reported.
HARVEY THE DEMS' CASH MACHINE
Here are just some of the donations and fundraising Weinstein was behind according to public records
$679,275 raised as a 'bundler' for Obama's 2012 campaign - one of the top 40 in the country
$250,000 donations to the Democratic National Committee since 2003
$250,000 to the Clinton Foundation since 2003
$30,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund in 2016
$16,200 to Chuck Schumer in total
$5,400 - the legal maximum - to Clinton's campaignin 2016
$5,400 to Richard Blumenthal in 2016
$5,400 to Martin Heinrich in 2017
$5,400 to Al Franken in 2014
$5,000 to Elizabeth Warren in 2012
$10,000 to Corey Booker in 2013
Charities which aid abused women will be among those the cash goes to from the senators.
At least four of the senators - Warren, Booker, Harris and Gillbrand - are seen as having presidential ambitions.
Their moves leave Clinton and Obama open to mounting embarrassment and for the 2016 presidential loser, allegations of hypocrisy.
But the Democratic National Committee said it would give only give $30,000 away - Weinstein had donated $250,000 to it since 2003 - and not a cent to charity.
Instead it will go to groups which try to get female Democratic candidates elected.
Weinstein has held numerous star-studded campaign events to bring in Hollywood money for Clinton and Obama since 2008, and poured money into Democratic senate and congressional campaigns.
He was one of Obama's top 40 'bundlers' during his 2012 re-election, bringing in $679,275 for the candidate – and putting him in the same category as DreamWorks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and former Warner Bros. chairman Barry Meyer.
Weinstein also maxed out his personal contributions to Clinton with a $5,400 check to her 2016 campaign and $30,000 to her Hillary Victory Fund.
Since 2003, he has donated over $250,000 to the Democratic National Committee, which supports the election of the Democratic presidential nominee.
WHAT HARVEY GAVE THE CLINTONS...
$250,000 to the Clinton Foundation
$30,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund
$5,400 to Hillary Clinton's campaign
Unknown millions in donations from friends
...WHAT THE CLINTONS ARE GIVING BACK
$0
Weinstein gave another $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation and held multiple fundraising dinners for Hillary Clinton, who campaigned as a champion of women during her 2016 presidential run.
That total alone comes to more than $1.2 million - but that was the tip of the iceberg, as his ability to get A-listers and Hollywood's behind the scenes millionaires to come to parties made him a key part of the Democratic fundraising machine.
Clinton often spoke up against sexual assault during the election, even as opponents noted that multiple sexual harassment allegations were lodged against her husband, Bill Clinton, in the 1990s.
+9
Ally: Malia Obama was an intern with Weinstein in a sign of how close he was to both Barack and Michelle Obama
'Every survivor of sexual assault deserves to be heard, believed, and supported,' said Clinton on Twitter on Nov. 22, 2015.
She also highlighted inappropriate sexual comments made by her opponent, Donald Trump, as a reason he could not be trusted as president.
Clinton has continued to speak out against what she characterizes as Trump's sexism during her recent book tour.
'When I see women [supporting Trump], I think why are they publicly disrespecting themselves? Why are they opening the door to have someone say that about them in their workplace? In a community setting? Do they not see the connection there?' said Clinton.
But the latest allegations against Weinstein – which include claims that he asked female subordinates and actresses to watch him shower and gave unwanted massages – raises uncomfortable questions for Clinton and other Democrats about one of their top supporters.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that Weinstein has reached legal settlements with at least eight women over alleged inappropriate sexual behaviour.
In one case, actress Ashley Judd accused the movie mogul of inviting her to watch him shower during a business meeting in a hotel room in the 1990s.
Several of Weinstein's female employees have allegedly accused him of making unwanted advances on them or other women over the past few decades.
Weinstein was an early supporter of Clinton, backing her in her primary bid against Obama in 2008.
Have it back: Elizabeth Warren and Corey Booker are giving donations received from Weinstein to charity in the first sign of Democrats turning on the mogul over his sexual harassment settlements
+9
$1.5 million reasons to thank Harvey: Weinstein brought in cash to the Democrats from Hollywood as well as his own checkbook. Clinton isn't saying anything about handing the cash back
+9
More A-listers: Leo di Caprio was among the guests at the high-rollers' dinner at Weinstein's home in June 2016
He was so vehement in his support of the former New York senator that he reportedly threatened to cut off donations to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if she did not support a re-vote to help Clinton during her contentious primary battle against Obama.
But Weinstein eventually came around and supported Obama during his 2012 re-election.
He was rewarded with at least 13 invitations to the White House during Obama's tenure.
Shortly after Obama's second election, Weinstein threw a fundraiser for the president at his home in the West Village – with tickets running as high as $32,400 a plate.
Guests included Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel. Obama praised Weinstein's 'incredible hospitality' during his speech.
'We are so grateful for [the Weinsteins'] friendship and support, and for the amazing movies that they've made,' said Obama.
That friendship has apparently continued after Obama left office. The president's older daughter, Malia Obama, interned with Weinstein's company earlier this year.
Weinstein continued to host of fundraising dinners at his home during Clinton's second presidential run in 2016.
Guests who paid thousands to mingle with Clinton at Weinstein's parties included Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick and Anna Wintour.
Weinstein expressed regret on Thursday for the 'the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past' and said he has 'caused a lot of pain.' He said his behaviour was related to an outdated mindset of how to act in the workplace. He said he hired celebrity attorney Lisa Bloom to teach him how to interact more appropriately with women.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Clinton Foundation for comment.
The Democratic National Committee has responded to sexual harassment allegations against Democratic Party donor and Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein by pledging to donate a small portion of the contributions it received from him to women’s charities.
In a statement, the DNC called the allegations “deeply troubling,” and after facing pressurefrom the Republican National Committee, announced it would donate roughly one-eighth of the total sum The Weinstein Company chief has contributed to the organization over the years.
The DNC said “over $30,000” worth of Weinstein’s contributions will be given to pro-choice charity EMILY’s List, Emerge America, and Higher Heights, a charity for black women, though it is unclear whether the DNC will give away the rest of the reported $246,290 that Weinstein has donated.
In all, Weinstein has donated at least $769,000 to Democratic politicians and political action organizations since the early 1990s, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, and has hosted high-dollar fundraisers for Democratic candidates, including 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
In their statement, the DNC also used the opportunity to blame and attack President Donald Trump, apparently dedicating more words to the president than to Weinstein himself.
“The Democratic party condemns all forms of sexual harassment and assault,” declared DNC Communications Director Xochitl Hinojosa, before adding, “We hope that Republicans will do the same as we mark one year since the release of a tape showing President Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women followed by more than a dozen women who came forward to detail similar experiences of assault and harassment.”
“The DNC will donate over $30,000 in contributions from Weinstein to EMILY’s List, Emerge America and Higher Heights,” Hinojosa continued. “Because what we need is more women in power, not men like Trump who continue to show us that they lack respect for more than half of America.”
The DNC’s pledge comes as a September FEC report showed the organization raised just $4.4 million in August and had a paltry $6.8 million cash-on-hand at the end of that month, along with debts of $4.1 million. The RNC reported $45.9 million cash-on-hand for the same month, and zero debt.
According to The Wrap, the DNC’s announcement “comes as a flurry of Democratic senators have vowed to donate any contribution they received” from Weinstein “to charitable organizations, including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich.”
Other Democratic senators who have pledged to donate Weinstein’s contributions include Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy and Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, as well New York Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Following sexual harassment allegations outlined by the New York Times Thursday, in which the Hollywood super-producer was reported to have reached financial settlements with at least eight different women over a decades-long career in the movie business, Weinstein claimed he would “channel anger” at the National Rifle Association, while dozens of friends and associates of Weinstein have stayed silent on the allegations, as have most left-wing celebrities.
“I am going to need a place to channel my anger so I’ve decided I’m going to give the NRA my full attention,” Weinstein declared. “I hope Wayne LaPierre will enjoy his retirement party,” he added. “I’m going to do it at the same place I had my Bar Mitzvah.”
Meanwhile, late-night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and James Corden all refused to talk about Weinstein during their respective shows Thursday night, while feminist attorney Lisa Bloom attempted to downplay the allegations in a Thursday statement.
In a post on Twitter, Hollywood actress Rose McGowan claimed anyone who does business with Harvey Weinstein “is complicit” in the allegations.
After the New York Times broke the story on the allegations against Weinstein, he quickly fired back at the newspaper, threatening a $50 million lawsuit.
Is there anything that
more elegantly epitomizes the obscene hypocrisy of the Democrat elites --
and their slavish servility to the Hollywood left and its money -- than their
unconditional worship of sexual predator Harvey Weinstein? If all
reports are true, his depravity has been a known fact for
decades. Still, Democrats like the Clintons, Schumer, Elizabeth
Warren, and a host of others gladly took hundreds of thousands of dollars of
his money and kept their mouths shut. These supposed champions of
women are nothing but sanctimonious frauds.
If there were ever
anything that proved their self-serving vacuity, this is
it. This, along with their post-Vegas massacre hysteria demanding
gun control be imposed on us but not them, tells the tale.
Whatever led the New York
Times to finally report on the man and a scandal they have surely known about
for years is a mystery. The NYT expose covers three decades
of Weinstein's predatory behavior -- but the truth is revealed only
now? What's up? Surely the paper of record is not
suddenly concerned about the hypocrisy of the Hollywood left. There
must be something else at work. Time will tell. Weinstein
is convinced his newly stated war against the NRA will appease
his critics. It will mollify only the most clueless among them.
Adding further to the
gross hypocrisy is the fact that Gloria Allred's daughter, Lisa Bloom, is
defending Weinstein, "tutoring" him in acceptable behavior in 2017.
Weinstein somehow missed the feminist movement, the tyranny of political
correctness and every other constraint imposed on Americans, for good or
ill, since the 1960s. Lisa and her mother have made their very
public careers as camera hogs who defend women that have allegedly been
sexually harassed or abused by sports or entertainment celebrities.
Now Lisa is defending the
biggest celebrity abuser of all. Surprise? Not one
bit. She is quoted as saying he is "an old dinosaur learning new
ways." Ha! Even Bill Clinton didn't come up with
that excuse. But Allred and Bloom are publicity hounds and
such people are nothing more than self-serving money-grubbers. Like
Obama's Mao-admiring Anita Dunn, who is also "consulting" with
Weinstein. These women, Allred, Bloom, and Dunn, evidently have
no character, no moral code. They will say or do anything to advance
themselves. Weinstein is producing a series for Bloom about the
Trayvon Martin case. She will kiss his feet, give him a massage and
watch him in the shower to see that her project goes forward.
These people live by
a different code of ethics than the rest of us. They believe they
are entitled to an alternate set of values. They can lie, cheat,
steal, sexually harass and be proud of what they got away with, of what they
have achieved, because they sacrificed the values with which they may have been
raised. They can hire equally morally compromised lawyers to
settle the consequences of their bad behavior. They can have armed
guards, full-time security around their homes and safe rooms. While the
rest of us must be horrified by the sexual predators they embrace, we must be
denied access to our last resort of self-defense, guns. They are
special; the rest of us are expendable. The ignorant arrogance of
the late night "comics" is beyond the pale. Not one of
them has a clue about the meaning of the Second Amendment or why the rest
of us revere it. They all have full-time armed security and their homes have
the best protection available. They have ranted every night this
week about the horrors of private gun ownership but have yet to mention Harvey
Weinstein's thirty-year history of predation. They won't; he is
one of them.
Weinstein ran his company
like any tyrant runs a country, like Stalin ran the USSR, like Castro ran Cuba,
by instilling fear in his willing, ambitious underlings. Weinstein's
employees, all of whom wanted to work in the film business, were held to
an enforced code of silence and were mandated to never criticize the company or
"its leaders." The women who settled for payouts had to
sign confidentiality agreements. They essentially agreed to let the
man loose on other women for the equivalent of thirty pieces of silver. Each of
them sold their souls and put succeeding women at risk. This is of a
piece with the fact that these lefty anti-gun folks have armed guards, the
highest-tech security systems at their homes, demanding the rest of us disarm
and be perpetually vulnerable. Their hypocrisy is stunning.
Trump won because a
majority of people in between the coasts are sick to death of these
self-appointed betters assuming for themselves a different set of rules, a
different, more permissive lifestyle, than they decree the rest of us must live
by. The NYT story about Harvey Weinstein and the post-Las Vegas
massacre anti-gun hysteria by the left is the perfect intersection of their
truly venal lack of character and their ignorance of true American
history. This bunch is a blight upon American culture, academia and
politics. They must be defeated
This, from a member of the “party of science.” Forgetting to floss one’s teeth every now and then is “NOT a big deal.” Hillary’s choice of pant suits is “NOT a big deal.” Global climate change is “NOT a big deal.” Choosing to engage in sodomy -- even once -- can have horrific life-changing -- even deadly -- consequences. Of course, “anal 101” neglects to mention the rampant disease associated with such disgusting behavior. In other words, like Hefner’s Playboy magazine, Teen Vogue is an accomplice in the shocking rise of STDs among America’s youth.
Why yes, yes he does, and the source for this seems remarkable, too. The Hollywood Reporter has a track record of remarkable balance, so it’s not a case of arguing against interests. However, its status as a significant part of the entertainment media industry will force the question of culpability to the forefront, especially given Harvey Weinstein’s prominence in campaigns for the two dominant forces in Democratic politics over the last quarter-century:
No comments:
Post a Comment