Bannon and Weinstein were once part of joint-venture: report

Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon once undertook a joint venture with the company of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, The Associated Press reported Wednesday. 

A DVD and home video distribution company chaired by Bannon went into business with the Weinstein Company in 2005, according to the AP. Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob owned 70 percent of the now-defunct company, Genius Products. 

Transcripts of conference calls with investors at the time show Bannon lauding the Weinstein’s “impressive track record in the film industry” and expressing enthusiasm about the partnership.

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“We are extremely honored to be in business with the new Weinstein Company,” Bannon said in one call, praising the brothers as “two of the most prolific studio heads in the history of Hollywood.”

The revelation about the joint venture comes as Harvey Weinstein faces mounting allegations of sexual assault and harassment after The New York Times and The New Yorker published bombshell reports detailing accounts.

Breitbart News, the pro-Trump news outlet headed by Bannon, has blasted many Democrats in recent days for accepting donations from Harvey Weinstein in the past.

The site has hit former President Obama and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton particularly hard, noting that both received sizable contributions from the film executive. Clinton and Obama released separate statements on Tuesday condemning Harvey Weinstein. 

News of the venture could lead to criticism of the Breitbart executive. While the company declared bankruptcy in 2011, Bannon reported considerable earnings from the venture, according to the AP.

Harvey Weinstein has been fired from the Weinstein Company amid the allegations.