Clinton says she'll give Weinstein contributions to charity
Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will give donations her political campaigns received from Harvey Weinstein to charity, she told CNN in an interview Wednesday.
Clinton has known Weinstein for years, and received at least $17,400 directly from him. Federal Election Commission records show. But that doesn't include ways Weinstein has indirectly contributed to her political ambitions. During the 2016 election cycle, Weinstein hosted a fundraiser at his New York home for Clinton's joint fundraising committee, the Hillary Victory Fund. About 60 people attended, contributing at least $33,400 per person.
Weinstein has been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and rape, according to allegations detailed in the The New York Times and The New Yorker.
"I was appalled," Clinton told CNN's Fareed Zakaria on Wednesday. "It was something that was just intolerable in every way," she said. "And, you know, like so many people who've come forward and spoken out, this was a different side of a person who I and many others had known in the past."
Clinton told CNN she was unaware of Weinstein's actions in private.
"I certainly didn't, and I don't know who did," Clinton said. "But I can only speak for myself, and I think I speak for many others who knew him primarily through politics."
On Tuesday, five days after the first allegations emerged, Clinton offered her first official statement on the Weinstein story.
"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," Clinton said in the statement.
The allegations against Weinstein have forced many Democrats who received campaign contributions from him to donate the money to charity.