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Lena Dunham claims she warned Hillary Clinton aides about Harvey Weinstein

She reportedly warned Clinton's campaign that allegations against the producer would surface

Jack Shepherd
Wednesday 06 December 2017 13:18 GMT
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Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham (Getty)

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Writer and actor Lena Dunham claims to have warned Hilary Clinton aides that Harvey Weinstein was “a rapist” while the Democrat nominee was running for President last year.

Speaking to the New York Times, Dunham says she spoke to two members of the Clinton campaign, saying allegations against Weinstein — who has since been accused of sexual harassment by multiple actors — would become public.

“I just want you to let you know that Harvey’s a rapist and this is going to come out at some point,” Dunham claims she told the campaign’s deputy communications director, Kristina Schake, who was reportedly surprised by the allegation.

Dunham added: “I think it’s a really bad idea for him to host fund-raisers and be involved because it’s an open secret in Hollywood that he has a problem with sexual assault.”

The actor also claims she told Clinton’s spokesperson Adrienne Elrod about Weinstein’s alleged behaviour. As far as Dunham could tell, though, no-one from the campaign responded to the concerns as the producer hosted a celebrity-packed fundraiser on Broadway soon after.

Magazine editor Tina Brown also claims to have warned Clinton’s inner circle about Weinstein, saying she mentioned the producer during her 2008 campaign.

She told the publication: “I was hearing that Harvey’s sleaziness with women had escalated since I left Talk in 2002 and she was unwise to be so closely associated with him.”

Both Schake and Elrod have denied — through Clinton’s communications manager — that Dunham mentioned rape. Meanwhile, Weinstein continues to deny any allegations of non-consensual sex. Criminal cases in London, New York, and Los Angeles have been opened against him.

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