Politics

Hillary Clinton condemns Weinstein, does not say whether she'll donate his contributions

Key Points
  • Hillary Clinton says she is "shocked and appalled" by the harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein.
  • She did not say whether her campaign will donate contributions from Weinstein.
  • Democratic senators have started to donate Weinstein's contributions to charity.
  • Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama added their condemnation of Weinstein later Tuesday.
Hillary Clinton condemns Harvey Weinstein
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Hillary Clinton condemns Harvey Weinstein

Hillary Clinton said Tuesday she is "shocked and appalled" by sexual assault and harassment allegations against movie mogul-Democratic donor Harvey Weinstein.

"The behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated," the former secretary of State said in a statement. "Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior."

In the statement, Clinton did not say whether her campaign would donate contributions she had received from Weinstein. A spokesman for Clinton did not immediately respond to questions from CNBC about the donations.

Prominent Democrats have faced pressure to disavow Weinstein and donate his campaign contributions to charity since reports this month in The New York Times and New Yorker detailed numerous sexual harassment allegations against Weinstein over decades. The Weinstein Company, the production firm he co-founded, fired him on Sunday.

Later Tuesday, former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama released a statement voicing their disgust with recent reports about Weinstein:

Michelle and I have been disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein. Any man who demeans and degrades women in such fashion needs to be condemned and held accountable, regardless of wealth or status. We should celebrate the courage of women who have come forward to tell these painful stories. And we all need to build a culture – including by empowering our girls and teaching our boys decency and respect - so we can make such behavior less prevalent in the future.

Earlier this year, Obama daughter Malia landed an internship at the Weinstein Company.

Democratic senators including Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut have said they will transfer the amounts they received from Weinstein to charity.

Weinstein donated to Clinton's presidential campaign last year and contributed to her Senate runs in 2006 and 2000, according to Federal Election Commission records. He gave more than $30,000 to the Clinton's joint fundraising committee with the Democratic Party.

Weinstein also contributed $5,400 to her campaign committee.

Weinstein's spokeswoman responded to the latest allegations in a statement to the Times on Tuesday.

"Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances. He will not be available for further comments, as he is taking the time to focus on his family, on getting counseling and rebuilding his life," she said.

--CNBC's Mike Calia contributed to this report.

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