Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended her past association with disgraced Hollywood megaproducer Harvey Weinstein, saying she would have acted differently had she known about his alleged predatory behavior.
“How could we have known?” Mrs. Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Tuesday.
“He raised money for me, for the Obamas, for Democrats in general,” she said. “And that at the time was something that everybody thought made sense. And of course, if all of us had known what we know now, it would have affected our behavior.”
Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Weinstein had reportedly been in talks shortly after her 2016 loss about a documentary on her failed campaign.
According to a New York Times report, actress Lena Dunham said she had warned the Clinton campaign that Mr. Weinstein was a “rapist” and that “this is going to come out at some point.”
A spokesman for Mrs. Clinton said that staff wouldn’t have forgotten such a warning.
Mr. Weinstein has been charged with multiple counts of rape and sexual assault stemming from incidents in 2013 and 2006, and opening statements in his trial are set to begin Wednesday in New York.
At least 100 women have accused Mr. Weinstein of sexual misconduct or unwanted advances, though he has denied such behavior. The accusations of his alleged predatory behavior that came to light a little more than two years ago helped spark the #MeToo movement.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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