Harvey Weinstein trial: politician’s wife talks about rape

Jennifer Siebel Newsom (48), a documentary filmmaker and actress who has been married to California Gov. Gavin Newsom (55) since 2008 and has four children together, joined Harvey Weinstein (70) in his trial on Monday as the fourth prosecutor sexual assault on the witness stand.

Siebel Newsom described herself as a relatively unknown actress during her two-and-a-half-hour testimony when she met Weinstein at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. At that time he was a “kingmaker” and at the “top of the industry”. When asked if she saw him in the courtroom in downtown Los Angeles, California, she broke down in tears before whispering “yes” into the microphone and glancing in his direction at the defense table. “He’s wearing a suit and a blue tie and he’s staring at me,” she said on the witness stand.

Alleged rape at the hotel

Weinstein allegedly raped Siebel Newsom in a Beverly Hills hotel in 2005 when they were discussing possible career projects at a meeting he arranged. Siebel Newsom admitted on the witness stand that she did not go to the police after the incident and that she had had personal and political contact with Weinstein in the years since the alleged assault. She is scheduled to be questioned by the defense on Tuesday.

During the opening statement, defense attorney Mark Werksman alleged that Weinstein’s accusers were lying when they said they were raped. He said Siebel Newsom would be “just another dumbass who slept with Harvey Weinstein to get ahead in Hollywood” if she weren’t married to the governor.

The wife of the politician, who secured a second term as governor last week, identified herself as one of the four accusers going by the anonymous name “Jane Doe” in a statement from her attorney in October.

What else threatens Harvey Weinstein?

Harvey Weinstein is already serving a 23-year sentence for multiple sex offenses. A second abuse trial against the 70-year-old began in Los Angeles in October. According to the indictment, Weinstein sexually assaulted five alleged victims between 2004 and 2013 at hotels in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles.

If convicted, Weinstein faces more than 100 years in prison. According to prosecutor Paul Thompson, the alleged victims did not report the assaults at the time because “they feared that it could ruin their careers”. This was reported by the “New York Times”. A total of eight alleged victims will testify anonymously in the process.

Five years ago, the revelations about the film producer led to the #MeToo movement. Within weeks of the initial release, nearly 90 women had come forward, accusing Weinstein of inappropriate behavior and sexual violence.