Harvey Weinstein’s Defense Permitted Use of Letter From Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Wife on How to Deal With Husband’s Sex Scandal in Trial

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Harvey Weinstein, a 70-year-old convicted rapist, allegedly once coached former President Bill Clinton about how to navigate his Monica Lewinsky controversy. He also provided counsel to the wife California Democrat Governor. Gavin Newsom, Jennifer Siebel Newsom two years after he allegedly assaulted her.

On Monday, the judge in Weinstein’s case ruled that jurors will have the opportunity to hear about Siebel’s 2007 request for advice regarding her husband’s sex scandal. To undermine Siebel Newsom’s accusation, the defense will use the letter and any friendly relationships it might suggest.

The Trial

Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year sentence in prison for his 2020 rape conviction.

Four incidents allegedly occurred during Oscars Week 2013, when two films by prominent Democratic donors won Academy Awards.

Siebel Newsom stated that Weinstein raped him at a Beverly Hills hotel sometime in 2004 or 2005.

Elizabeth Fegan, Siebel Newsom’s attorney, stated last week that her client had been sexually assaulted at Harvey Weinstein’s purported business meeting, which turned out to be a trap. She will testify at Weinstein’s trial to get justice for survivors.

Siebel Newsom worked as both an actor and documentary filmmaker. In October 2017, the 48-year-old wrote an article for Huffington Post about the “open secret” in the media and entertainment industries regarding Weinstein’s degeneracy. She highlighted how the industry’s culture was “completely demeaning, disrespectful and diminishing of women, girls, and boys.”

Newsom wrote that he was “naive and new to the industry” and did not know how to respond to his aggressive advances. Newsom said that he received work invitations from a friend at The Toronto Film Festival and then an invitation to meet him about a role at The Peninsula Hotel. The staff at the hotels were present but then disappeared like clockwork, leaving Newsom alone with this powerful and intimidating Hollywood legend.

The Letter

Gavin Newsom was elected mayor of San Francisco in 2006. Siebel Newsom started dating Gavin Newsom two years later. He was her husband when she married him in 2008.

It was discovered that Newsom’s then-mayor had an affair with Ruby Rippey–Tourk, his wife and campaign manager for reelection. Rippey-Tourk revealed this to her husband in a rehab program for substance abuse.

Rippey-Tourk was Newsom’s appointments secretary from 2004 to 2005. He claimed that the affair started while Newsom was still married to Kimberly Guilfoyle.

According to reports, Siebel Newsom reached out to Weinstein for help in navigating the scandal after hearing about Newsom’s affair.

It’s unclear if Siebel Newsom was following Weinstein’s advice, or if she deflected the blame from Gavin Newsom by publicly denouncing RippeyTourk and claiming that the woman had a “checkered past.”

Mark Werksman, Weinstein’s lawyer, suggested that “Of all the things Harvey Weinstein would not do, it’s [ask] him how to deal with a sex scandal.”

Werksman stated, “The fact she comes to Mr. Weinstein to get that advice is an indication of the friendship and companionship between Jane Doe 4 & Mr. Weinstein. … They will defend themselves by claiming that they had an affair and that they had consensual sexual sex.

Marlene Martinez, Deputy District Attorney, questioned Werksman’s understanding of the mind of a victim of rape. She suggested that victims do not respond in the same way as someone who has never been raped.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench decided that Weinstein could present as evidence an email Newsom sent in 2007 to Weinstein. Lench has forbidden the court from discussing the email’s underlying issues (i.e. Gavin Newsom’s affair).