The Godfathers of Sex Abuse, Book II: Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, #MeToo

By Deana Pollard Sacks

Following her first groundbreaking work, The Godfathers of Sex Abuse, Book I: Jeffrey Epstein, Professor Deana Pollard Sacks now takes on two other monstrous sex abusers: Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby. Sacks not only presents their dark stories of fraud, manipulation, and coercion, but she broadens the perspective to reveal the other

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stonebrook Publishing
• Release date: May 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781733995870

Book preview

PART I

HARVEY WEINSTEIN

1

THE WARTHOG FROM HELL

Most people had never heard of Harvey Weinstein until late 2017, when the Hollywood film producer was accused of being a rapist by numerous actresses and former employees. By 2018, it came out that he’d developed an elaborate system to find extremely beautiful women, assault or rape them, and then either silence them or sabotage their careers. This had been going on for three decades when Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey of The New York Times broke the story on October 5, 2017.

Some of the women were hopping mad by the time their stories were heard. Rose McGowan called Weinstein the warthog from hell and a pig monster after describing his aggressive sexual assault of her on the edge of a bathtub when she was just twenty-three years old. The many stories of Weinstein’s sexual assaults were indeed monstrous, the stuff of which nightmares are made.

Many people asked how he got away with it for so long. This part of the book explains how.

Weinstein’s story is similar to Jeffrey Epstein’s in several ways. Both came from working-class families of modest means, and both became extraordinarily rich before they hit middle age. Both were politically and socially active, gregarious at times but moody as hell. Both enjoyed reputations of being highly intelligent, yet they were obviously missing a few cards in the deck. Both created multi-layered systems to find and sexually assault attractive females, then used hired guns to ward off consequences. Both manifested classic narcissism—manipulation and deceit. Both thought they were above the law.

Both were sex addicts who used their enormous wealth to create networks of enablers, assistants, and co-conspirators to support their sophisticated sexual conquest matrices for a constant influx of female sex objects. Both enjoyed decades of evading the law by hiring expensive legal talent and manipulating a compromised legal system to cover their tracks. By 2019, both were finally facing consequences, with Epstein reportedly dodging his just deserts by taking his own life. Jeffrey Epstein’s story is fully explored in The Godfathers of Sex Abuse, Part I: Jeffrey Epstein.

In light of the accusers’ stories, warthog from hell seems like a fair, perhaps even kind, way of describing Harvey Weinstein.

2

THE TALENTED MR. WEINSTEIN

Harvey Weinstein’s rise to power and wealth was clean compared to Epstein’s, whose accumulation of wealth remains largely a mystery. Weinstein and his brother, Robert (Bob) Weinstein, grew up in Electchester in Queens, New York, a housing co-op that was originally for the city’s electrical workers—hence the name. His father was a diamond cutter. According to people who knew him in the 1970s, Harvey Weinstein wanted a better life and was fiercely driven to achieve it.

He attended the University at Buffalo and formed Harvey & Corky Productions in the early 1970s along with his brother and Corky Burger. The company produced and promoted rock concerts in New York in the 1970s. The Weinstein brothers parlayed rock concert profits into a small independent film distribution company called Miramax—named after their parents, Miriam and Max.

Miramax’s first films were mostly concert films such as Paul McCartney’s Rockshow. The company produced Sex, Lies, and Videotapes in 1989, then ran into financial issues. Walt Disney purchased Miramax in 1993 for $80 million, but the Weinstein brothers remained in control of the company. This gave them access to the powerful Disney film production machine.

From that point forward, everything Weinstein touched seemed to turn to gold, at least for a while. Coworkers described him as abusive at times, but also highly intelligent, energetic, and exciting to be around—he was doing big deals in Hollywood and making millions. In the 1990s, blockbusters Pulp Fiction, The English Patient, Good Will Hunting, and Shakespeare In Love were released, among other films. In time, his films would receive nearly 350 Oscar nominations and eighty Oscar wins.

Weinstein was larger than life, extremely rich, and the most powerful man in Hollywood. He hosted many career-critical social events for actors and movie industry people. He reigned, and he was a force to be reckoned with. In 2005, after a series of flops, his relationship with Disney ended acrimoniously. From this, The Weinstein Company was born.

The Weinstein Company distributed dozens of films between 2005 and 2018, including many foreign films. Miramax Television produced television shows, including the popular reality show, Project Runway. In 2018, the company closed and filed for bankruptcy following the many sexual abuse allegations against Weinstein, and Lantern Capital Partners purchased the company’s assets for $289 million.

3

WEINSTEIN’S DARK SIDE

Rumors of a dark side go way back. He’d been accused of using editing techniques to modify films to maximize profits, to the consternation and fury of artists and directors. Hayao Miyazaki, who directed the film Princess Mononoke, allegedly sent Weinstein a samurai sword in the mail with the words No cuts attached to the blade. Miyazaki said his producer sent the sword, but that Weinstein still tried—unsuccessfully—to bully him into cuts.

Weinstein’s propensity to bully others was common knowledge among coworkers, who viewed him as a loose cannon, unpredictable, and very controlling. He had temper tantrums, regularly screamed at people on set, and berated actors and directors in front of others. Miramax employees referred to him as the H-bomb. Employees referred to their gatherings after working for Weinstein and Miramax as Miranon meetings.¹

Weinstein is a big guy to begin with, endowed with intimidating features and a voice that can boom. He used his physical attributes to manipulate and overpower people. He could make or break almost anyone’s career in the film industry, and he bragged about it. Reportedly, when Weinstein did not like Julie Taymor’s description of a test audience’s reaction to her movie, Frida, Weinstein screamed at her, You are the most arrogant person I have ever met! Go market the film yourself! He tore up papers and threw them at her feet, then threatened to sell her film to HBO—to release it to television as opposed to the planned theatrical release, which would be an enormous blow to her project and career.²

Weinstein then turned to Taymor’s companion, Elliott Goldenthal, and spat, I don’t like the look on your face. Why don’t you defend your wife, so I can beat the shit out of you?³ The Miramax executives watched in horror and Weinstein turned to them and screamed at each of them, You’re fired, you’re fired, you’re fired, you’re fired.⁴

Persons in close proximity cringed and dodged. It was best to just get out of Harvey’s way. He’d bluster, then calm down—his employees didn’t really lose their jobs.

His own brother referred to him as a bully. Ironically, The Weinstein Company distributed a film titled Bully in 2011.

Like Epstein, Weinstein was big into the Democratic Party. He regularly attended events and donated large sums. At one point when Terry McAuliffe was the chairman of the Democratic Party, Weinstein became upset with McAuliffe and called him a motherfucker, yelling, I’ll rip your balls off. He also reportedly nicknamed a young intern Fuckface (to his face) and has been known to throw furniture around when angered.⁵

Weinstein made anti-Semitic and misogynist comments as well. During the New York investigation involving Weinstein’s assault of an Italian model in 2015, Weinstein got angry with one of his employees because one of Weinstein’s personal guests had waited too long in a hotel lobby. He yelled that his employee should just marry a fat rich Jewish fuck and go fucking make babies.⁶

Weinstein was all-around abusive. Ronan Farrow, son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen (or, apparently, Frank Sinatra)—and the journalist who helped uncover the sexual abuse allegations against Weinstein—released his new book in late 2019, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators. He described Weinstein’s bizarre temperamental behavior when he interviewed him in 2017 before writing about the rape allegations. Knowing that Farrow had dealt with intra-familial sexual abuse, Weinstein laughed at Farrow, and said, You couldn’t save someone you love, and now you think you can save everyone.

4

ASSAULT OF ANDREW GOLDMAN

In the 2019 documentary Untouchable, Rebecca Traister described rage, Harvey Weinstein style. Rebecca, a former reporter for The New York Observer, attended a Weinstein party at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York with her boyfriend at that time, gossip columnist Andrew Goldman. Rebecca was hoping to get an interview with Weinstein.

Back in 2000, Weinstein was holding back on releasing the movie O, which was a very violent high school drama. The makers of the movie thought Weinstein was holding back on the movie’s release because of his ties to the Democratic Party. The Gore/Lieberman Democratic ticket had a following that disapproved of media violence, and Weinstein may have been helping the campaign by not releasing such a violent film before the election.

Rebecca wanted to ask Weinstein why the movie was being held back from distribution. She opined, He was hoping that the amount of money that he was giving was gonna result in some sort of political payoff. She wanted to get to the bottom of it and write a story.

With her recorder on, she approached Weinstein and asked about the movie O. Weinstein stated, Oh, that’s my brother’s movie, I don’t have anything to do with that, and moved on. Rebecca did not believe it, but at least she had a quote for her story.

As she began to walk away, Weinstein suddenly came back to her and said, You can’t use that, and that his comment was off the record. Rebecca did not agree, and Weinstein tried to grab her recorder. In response, she pressed record and held the microphone up to his face. This enraged Weinstein, who screamed at the top of his lungs, Who let this fucking cunt into this party? and, Get this cunt out of here!

Andrew Goldman heard the outburst and quickly stepped in, explaining to Weinstein that Rebecca had come with him, and that he was there to report on the guest of honor, Karen Duffy. Then Goldman added that Weinstein had no right to speak to Rebecca like that, and that he owed her an apology. Weinstein became livid. Goldman’s recorder was on.

I’m glad I’m the fucking sheriff of this shit ass fucking town, Weinstein yelled, then attacked Goldman, trying to wrestle the recorder out of his hands. He hit Andrew with such force that Goldman lost control of the recorder, and it hit a woman who suffered a long-term injury as a result.⁷ He put Goldman in a headlock and dragged him down the stairs of the Tribeca Grand and onto Sixth Avenue, then began to beat him on the head. A crowd had gathered, and camera flashes were going off like crazy. Hundreds of photos were taken.

And yet, not a single photograph appeared in any tabloid or newspaper.

Rebecca’s editor-in-chief later told her, Harvey’s never going anywhere. Harvey is Russia. Don’t write about it.

The movie O was released in 2001, following one of the closest presidential elections in United States history. The vote recount proceeding was rendered moot by the US Supreme Court on December 12, 2000. The Electoral College had been scheduled to meet on December 18, 2000 to decide the election, but the election was decided six days earlier, in Bush v. Gore, a 5-4 decision by the US Supreme Court. New York attorney David Boies represented Al Gore in the case and would later become close friends with Weinstein. Boies would work hard to help Weinstein cover up his sexual misconduct. On the other hand, Boies went after Alan Dershowitz on behalf of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, for calling Virginia a liar and prostitute in response to her sexual abuse allegations against Dershowitz (see The Godfathers of Sex Abuse, Book I: Jeffrey Epstein).

Weinstein’s treatment of Andrew Goldman was not unique. Weinstein was known to order reporters around and tell them what they could and could not write about. In the documentary Untouchable, a clip shows Weinstein warning reporters to back off, and if they don’t do as he says, You’ll never work in this town. You’ll never sell a fucking photograph anywhere.

By many accounts, Weinstein was out of control, like a godfather who answered to no one. He could put anyone’s head on the chopping block on a whim. He unapologetically destroyed the lives of people who got in his way or simply annoyed him. Like a king, he felt entitled to have sex with the most beautiful women around, whether they wanted it or not.

5

WEINSTEIN’S WORLD

Weinstein lived in a world many aspire to enter. He was on every Hollywood A-list and attended the most high-profile political and social events reserved for the upper echelon. He was a Hollywood green-lighter and a genius film producer and distributor.

Like Jeffrey Epstein and Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein could be gregarious, witty, and fun to be around. His former assistant, Zelda Perkins, referred to him as an extremely exciting, brilliant, stimulating person to be around.

But Weinstein was a master manipulator as well, she said. By many accounts, he dominated everyone around him. He took pride in humiliating men and spent enormous energy forcing beautiful women to submit to him sexually.

People feared him, and for good reason. With Harvey there was no such word as ‘no’ and that’s really the crux of the matter. He is a "power