Harvey Weinstein Defense Lawyer Asks Newsom’s Wife to Fake Orgasm in Court

Jennifer Siebel Newsom (Thomas Cooper / Getty)
Thomas Cooper / Getty

The defense attorney in the rape trial of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein asked California First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom to fake an orgasm in court during her testimony Monday for the prosecution.

Weinstein, who was recently sentenced in New York to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault, faces similar charges in California. Newsom is one of four victims who is testifying against him at his ongoing trial.

After she testified about allegedly being raped by Weinstein in a hotel room in 2005, Newsom faced cross-examination, during which defense attorney Mark Werksman asked her to recreate an orgasm she said she had faked in an effort to end the encounter.
The New York Post reported:

California’s first lady balked when defense attorney Mark Werksman asked her how she “indicated her pleasure” during the alleged 2005 incident at the Peninsula hotel in Beverly Hills, where she claims Weinstein raped her.

Siebel Newsom, visibly annoyed, retorted, “This is not ‘When Harry Met Sally.’ I’m not doing that,” referring to a scene in the 1989 movie in which Meg Ryan’s character memorably faked a loud orgasm in a busy New York restaurant.

When Werksman peppered Siebel Newsom with questions concerning details about her prior testimony regarding the alleged rape, she replied: “What you’re doing today is exactly what he did to me.”

The defense also asked Newsom about why she later sent Weinstein emails asking for political donations for her husband, Gavin Newsom, who was running for reelection as mayor of San Francisco, and thanking Weinstein for invited her to a party at the Oscars.

Newsom was visibly distressed by the cross-examination, which had to be stopped as she cried uncontrollably.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

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