CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin: Obamas, Clintons Don’t Get ‘Pass’ on Weinstein—‘Dark Mark on Their Record’

The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Tony Lee

None other than CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said on Tuesday evening that former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama should not get a “pass” on Harvey Weinstein.

In fact, Toobin said their association with Weinstein throughout the years is a “dark mark on their record.”

“I don’t think we can give the Clintons and the Obamas a pass here,” Toobin said on Anderson Cooper 360. He cited Seth MacFarlane’s creepy joke about Weinstein at an Oscars event and added that MacFarlane’s joke illustrated that “a lot of people knew or had very strong suspicions that this was a very bad guy.”

“The Obamas and the Clintons embraced him, did fundraisers with him, paid tribute to him,” Toobin continued. “I think it’s a dark mark on their record.”

Even some in the left-wing media along with their political allies criticized the Obamas and Clintons for waiting a full five days before releasing any sort of statement about Weinstein. Their allies were dumbfounded that the Obamas and Clintons, who are always eager to virtue-signal and accuse their opponents of waging a “war on women,” stood silent as dozens of victims publicly revealed that Weinstein sexually harassed them or even raped them over the years.

“I was shocked and appalled by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein,” Clinton finally said in a Tuesday statement. “The behavior described by the women coming forward cannot be tolerated. Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior.”

The Obamas also finally said on record that they were “disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein.”

“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.”

On Wednesday evening, Clinton told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria that she was “appalled” by the revelations.

“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.”

According to CNN, the Clintons and Weinstein were “personally close: In 2015, the Clintons rented a home next to Weinstein in the Hamptons.”

Weinstein has reportedly helped the Clintons and the Obamas raise millions of dollars over the years and helped other Democrats raise millions more. He also reportedly donated $100,000 to $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation.

As Breitbart News has reported, Weinstein visited the Obama White House on at least 13 occasions and Obama’s daughter, Malia Obama, “recently wrapped up an internship at the New York City offices of The Weinstein Co.”

“I have to thank Harvey and Georgina for once again extending incredible hospitality to us,” President Obama reportedly said during a 2013 fundraising event with Weinstein. “We are so grateful for their friendship and support, and for the amazing movies that they’ve made.”

At another event in which Weinstein introduced Obama, Weinstein said Obama “has fought the good fight” by “fighting for Planned Parenthood and protecting women’s rights.”

In 2013, Michelle Obama praised Weinstein as a “wonderful human being, a good friend and just a powerhouse” at a Student Film Symposium event at the White House.

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