Hillary Clinton is still refusing to comment on her mega-donor friend Harvey Weinstein’s sexual harassment scandal, even as she spoke at UC Davis about the ‘double standards’ faced by women running for president.
Six days into the scandal that has rocked Hollywood and led to the ouster of the long-time Miramax executive and co-founder Weinstein, the Clinton Foundation has continued to duck requests for comment from DailyMail.com about its up to $250,000 donor.
Clinton has not indicated if she will join her fellow Democrats returning campaign donations from Weinstein or giving them to charity.
But she is now facing calls from Tim Kaine, her running mate, to condemn the accused rapist.
It’s like nothing happened: Hillary Clinton charged $125-a-seat to Californians to not hear her condemn Harvey Weinstein
Shamed: CNN anchor Erin Burnett accused Weinstein of getting a ‘pass’ from Hillary Clinton
Bundler: Harvey Weinstein was a huge Hillary Clinton backer, hosting New York fundraisers and maxing out his own donations to her campaign
Happy birthday from Harvey: Hillary Clinton was given a birthday celebration in New York and Weinstein was part of the party in 2000, as she campaigned for the senate
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
STILL NOTHING
Under pressure: Tim Kaine, who was Clinton’s running mate when she lost, said ‘any leader’ should speak out against Weinstein – and when asked about her silence said: ‘I’m nobody’s press secretary’
Speaking on CNN’s New Day, he said: ‘Any leader should condemn this. These allegations are low-life behavior.
‘Whether it’s in government, business or media, it’s unacceptable and you’ve got to call it out.’
He also distanced himself form the 2016 loser, saying: ‘I’m nobody’s press secretary.’
Since the scandal was revealed last Thursday, Clinton has found time to discuss birth control funding and her re-released children’s book It Takes a Village and the problems she says women face in politics.
She has also continued her lucrative speaking tour with engagements at Stanford University and University of California, Davis.
Clinton told the UC Davis audience on Monday about the struggle of running for president as a woman. Ticket prices started at $250, and included a copy of her memoir What Happened.
‘You have to have a high pain threshold, because the double standard is alive and well,’ said Clinton.
‘This is endemic to our political system, to business, to the media, to every part of society. So don’t be afraid to talk about it and take it on.’
The former presidential candidate also weighed in on the recent fire fires in northern California and hurricanes across the U.S.
She said people must start ‘acknowledging climate change and the role that it plays in exacerbating such events.’
Media figures expressed shock that Clinton never once mentioned the sexual harassment allegations against Weinstein during her 90 minute speech.
‘HRC spoke for 90 mins last nite, didn’t mention Harvey Weinstein.She won’t give women a ‘pass’ for not voting for her, but she gave him one,’ wrote CNN’s Erin Burnett on Twitter.
Weinstein was fired from Miramax on Sunday, just a few days after it was revealed he had reached financial settlements with at least eight women regarding sexual harassment allegations over the past two decades.
He is now facing allegations of rape, with Italian star Asia Argento describing to the New Yorker how she was attacked by him in a French hotel room.
Ashley Judd told the New York Times that when she was a young actress Weinstein asked her to watch him shower and tried to give her a massage during a purported business meeting he arranged in his hotel room.
Other women who worked for Miramax reported that Weinstein made similar sexual advances toward them.
Weinstein, a major Democratic political donor, has faced condemnation from Washington politicians and Hollywood celebrities since the scandal was exposed by the New York Times last Thursday.
At least seven Democrats and the Democratic National Committee stepped forward to say they are returning Weinstein’s campaigns donations or re-gifting them to charity.
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
Look who Harvery brought to donate: Weinstein’s dinner at his West Village townhouse saw Jennifer Lopez among the stars who paid $32,500-a-plate to meet Clinton as she campaigned for the White House
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, both considered likely contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, said they will donate Weinstein’s contributions to charity.
Senators Al Franken, Kristen Gillibrand, Richard Blumenthal, and Martin Heinrich also vowed to return the money.
The Democratic National Committee, which received over $250,000 from Weinstein since 2003, also said it would donate $30,000 to women’s groups.
HARVEY THE DEMS’ CASH MACHINE
Here are just some of the donations and fundraising Weinstein was behind according to public records – and what has happened to them since his sex harassment shame was revealed:
$679,275 raised as a ‘bundler’ for Obama’s 2012 campaign – one of the top 40 in the country
NOT RETURNED
$250,000 donations to the Democratic National Committee since 2003
SMALL PERCENTAGE BEING GIVEN TO WOMEN’S CAMPAIGN GROUPS
Up to $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation since 2003
NOT RETURNED
$30,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund in 2016
NOT RETURNED
$16,200 to Chuck Schumer, Senate minority leader
GOING TO CHARITY
$5,400 – the legal maximum – to Clinton’s campaign in 2016
NOT RETURNED
$5,400 to Richard Blumenthal in 2016
GOING TO CHARITY
$5,400 to Martin Heinrich in 2017
GOING TO CHARITY
$5,400 to Al Franken in 2014
GOING TO CHARITY
$5,000 to Elizabeth Warren in 2012
GOING TO CHARITY
$10,000 to Corey Booker in 2013
GOING TO CHARITY
Weinstein maxed out his political contributions to Clinton with a $5,400 check to her 2016 campaign and $30,000 to her Hillary Victory Fund. He was also a prolific bundler for Clinton and hosted fundraising events where celebrity guests paid thousands to meet with the presidential candidate.
Weinstein also gave between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation – joining other controversial donors, including convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and ex-MF Global CEO Jon Corzine.
A growing chorus of Hollywood celebrities continued to speak out against the movie producer on Monday and Tuesday.
‘I was deeply disturbed to hear the news about Harvey Weinstein’s behavior,’ said Jennifer Lawrence in a statement on Tuesday.
‘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.’
George Clooney said he heard gossip going back decades that ‘certain actresses had slept with Harvey to get a role,’ but said he ignored these rumors because he found them demeaning to women.
‘The part we’re hearing now about eight women being paid off, I didn’t hear anything about that and I don’t know anyone that did,’ said Clooney. ‘That’s a whole other level and there’s no way you can reconcile that. There’s nothing to say except that it’s indefensible.’
Lena Dunham, who campaigned for Clinton in 2016, wrote a column for the New York Times denouncing those who have stayed silent on Weinstein’s behaviour.
‘Here we are, days later, waiting for Mr. Weinstein’s most powerful collaborators to say something. Anything,’ wrote Dunham. ‘It wouldn’t be just a gift to the women he has victimized, but a message to the women who are watching our industry closely.’
In the only sign of a Clinton engaging n the story Chelsea Clinton retweeted Dunham’s link to the article.
But at the weekend she had tweeted a link to an opinion article which suggested that those who were ‘politicizing’ the scandal were as bad as Weinstein himself.
