Obamas Say They're 'Disgusted' By Harvey Weinstein Harassment Scandal
Former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, released a statement on Tuesday responding to the reports of alleged sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
“Michelle and I have been disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein. Any man who demeans and degrades women in such fashion needs to be condemned and held accountable, regardless of wealth or status,” the statement reads.
Malia Obama, the president’s eldest daughter, was an intern at The Weinstein Co. earlier this year before starting at Harvard University this fall.
The Obamas release a statement on Harvey Weinstein: pic.twitter.com/izktkIEkxC
— Kevin Liptak (@Kevinliptakcnn) October 10, 2017
A frequent guest at the White Houses of Presidents Bill Clinton and Obama, Weinstein has also given and raised funds for a coterie of leading Democrats. The film executive has helped raise nearly $1.5 million for federal candidates, parties and PACs since 1990 and donated more than $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation through June 2017.
Hillary Clinton, a beneficiary of Weinstein’s fundraising, broke her own silence earlier Tuesday, saying she was “shocked and appalled by the revelations.”
“The behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated,” Hillary Clinton said in a statement on Tuesday. “Their courage and support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior.”
At least 12 lawmakers who have benefited from Weinstein’s fundraising have donated such contributions to charity following the Times story, including Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) said he was “deeply troubled” and “sickened” by the news in a statement. His office said it would donate the more than $57,000 Weinstein raised for his 2013 election campaign to organizations that combat sexual assault.
Terry McAuliffe on Weinstein, whom he’s previously described as a friend: “deeply troubled,” “sickened” by news, actions are “indefensible.” pic.twitter.com/CcEMacustW
— Ruby Cramer (@rubycramer) October 10, 2017
The Times Editorial Board on Friday called on Obama and Clinton to disavow him.
“These Democratic leaders, admired by many young women and men, should make clear that Mr. Weinstein also deserves condemnation,” the board wrote. “If such powerful leaders take the money and stay mum, who will speak for women like Mr. Weinstein’s accusers?”
A roster of major Hollywood stars have come out against Weinstein, including George Clooney, Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep.
In a statement given to HuffPost contributor Yashar Ali, Streep said she was “appalled” by the allegations: “The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported. The intrepid women who raised their voices to expose this abuse are our heroes.”
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Ashley Judd
She told the Times that she thought, “How do I get out of the room as fast as possible without alienating Harvey Weinstein?”
Gwyneth Paltrow
“I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified,” she said, noting that when Weinstein found out she told her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt, "I thought he was going to fire me."
Angelina Jolie
Kate Winslet
"I had hoped that these kind of stories were just made up rumours, maybe we have all been naïve," she said. "And it makes me so angry. There must be ‘no tolerance’ of this degrading, vile treatment of women in ANY workplace anywhere in the world.”
Meryl Streep
“The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported," she said in a statement.
Rose McGowan
After The Weinstein Company fired Harvey, the actress and director called on the rest of the studio's board to resign.
"They knew," she said in a tweet. "They funded. They advised. They covered up. They must be exposed. They must resign."
Ben Affleck
Actress Rose McGowan denounced Affleck for implying that he didn't know of the abuse before this week, saying that the pair had previously discussed Weinstein's treatment of her.
"You lie," she tweeted.
Lena Dunham
"Abuse, threats and coercion have been the norm for so many women trying to do business or make art," she wrote. "Mr. Weinstein may be the most powerful man in Hollywood to be revealed as a predator, but he’s certainly not the only one who has been allowed to run wild. His behavior, silently co-signed for decades by employees and collaborators, is a microcosm of what has been happening in Hollywood since always and of what workplace harassment looks like for women everywhere."
George Clooney
"A good bunch of people that I know would say, “Yeah, Harvey’s a dog” or “Harvey’s chasing girls,” but again, this is a very different kind of thing," the actor told the Daily Beast. "This is harassment on a very high level. And there’s an argument that everyone is complicit in it. I suppose the argument would be that it’s not just about Hollywood, but about all of us—that every time you see someone using their power and influence to take advantage of someone without power and influence and you don’t speak up, you’re complicit. And there’s no question about that."
Jennifer Lawrence
"I worked with Harvey five years ago, and I did not experience any form of harassment personally, nor did I know about any of these allegations. This kind of abuse is inexcusable and absolutely upsetting," Lawrence said in a statement. "My heart goes out to all of the women affected by these gross actions. And I want to thank them for their bravery to come forward."
Hillary Clinton
Clinton said that she "was shocked and appalled by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein. The behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated. Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior."
Barack and Michelle Obama
"Michelle and I have been disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein," the Obamas said in a statement. "Any man who demeans and degrades women in such fashion needs to be condemned and held accountable, regardless of wealth or status. We should celebrate the courage of women who have come forward to tell these painful stories. And we all need to build a culture -- including by empowering our girls and teaching our boys decency and respect -- so we can make such behavior less prevalent in the future."
Judi Dench
"Whilst there is no doubt that Harvey Weinstein has helped and championed my film career for the past 20 years, I was completely unaware of these offenses which are, of course, horrifying and I offer my sympathy to those who have suffered, and whole-hearted support to those who have spoken out," she said in a statement.
Leonardo DiCaprio
"There is no excuse for sexual harrassment or sexual assault-- no matter who you are and no matter what profession," DiCarpio said in a Facebook Post. "I applaud the strength and courage of the women who came forward and made their voices heard."
Jessica Chastain
"I was warned from the beginning" about Weinstein, she said in a tweet. "The stories were everywhere. To deny that is to create an environment for it to happen again."
Julianne Moore
Colin Firth
“It must have been terrifying for these women to step up and call him out. And horrifying to be subjected to that kind of harassment. I applaud their courage."
Tamron Hall
Blake Lively
The actress said that she was unaware of the abuse but admitted that "it's devastating to hear."
"It's important that women are furious right now. It's important that there is an uprising. It's important that we don't stand for this and that we don't focus on one or two or three or four stories. It's important that we focus on humanity in general and say, 'This is unacceptable.'"
Julia Roberts
Ryan Gosling
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
