New York: An attorney for Harvey Weinstein said on Tuesday that her client is not without sin – but he’s also not “a rapist.”
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Donna Rotunno, speaking on “CBS This Morning,” said she feels strongly that the evidence will exonerate the movie mogul of any criminal wrongdoing.
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Weinstein is scheduled to go to trial in January on charges alleging he raped an unidentified woman in his Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and performed a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006. He denies all accusations of non-consensual sex.
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The trial will occur amid the backdrop of the #MeToo movement, which was fueled by dozens of allegations of sexual misconduct against Weinstein.
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“I’m not here to say he was not guilty of committing sins,” she said. However, “I don’t think he’s a rapist.”
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“I think in many ways there are good things about #MeToo,” the lawyer said. However, the empowerment movement “allows the court of public opinion to take over the narrative” in a way that can’t be corrected or challenged, which can result in the accused being “stripped of your rights.”
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“It’s really about making sure those issues don’t cloud our ability to pick a fair jury,” she said.
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No matter happens at trial, she said, Weinstein “will pay the biggest price there is,” because his life is ruined.
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