Clinton: I will donate Weinstein funds to charity

Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said in a new interview that she will donate the money contributed to her campaign by film producer Harvey Weinstein.

“Well, there’s no one to give it back to. What other people are saying, what my former colleagues are saying, is that they’re going to donate it to charity, and of course I will do that,” Clinton told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria.

Clinton also said she was shocked by the allegations against Weinstein, and that she was not previously aware of the accusations.

“I certainly didn’t, and I don’t know who did,” Clinton said. “But I can only speak for myself and I think speak for many others who knew him primarily through politics.”

{mosads}Clinton on Tuesday broke her silence about the accusations leveled against the Hollywood mogul after The New York Times and The New Yorker both published additional accounts from women accusing Weinstein of sexual assault and harassment. Three women who spoke to The New Yorker say Weinstein raped them. The Times last week published an investigative report about harassment allegations against Weinstein stretching back decades.

“I was just sick. I was shocked. I was appalled. It was something that was just intolerable in every way,” Clinton said in the CNN interview. 

Weinstein donated the maximum amount possible for an individual contributor to Clinton in both the 2016 Democratic primary and the general election. 

Clinton, in addition to former President Obama, came under pressure to speak about the allegations due to Weinstein’s involvement in Democratic politics. The film producer was a bundler for both Clinton and Obama during their presidential bids. The Obamas issued a statement on Tuesday saying they were “disgusted” by the allegations against Weinstein.

Clinton in the CNN interview said she “probably would have” called Weinstein a friend.