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A newly leaked audio of Harvey Weinstein talking with reporters of a publication, which exposed him in October 2017, reveals how the media mogul defends himself after accusations of sexual assault surfaced against him.
"I'm not a saint, but I'm not the sinner you think I am," Weinstein said in his defence.When the reporters asked the producer in October 2017 to comment on the sexual harassment allegations levelled against him, Weinstein asked them to be specific and responded, "I think you ought to be specific and tell me who they are and if they're on the record."
The Hollywood Reporter cited the 59-minute phone call details obtained by Inside Edition. During the call, Weinstein was asked if he was comfortable in the call being recorded to which he said no.
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However, the reporters recorded the call.
The producer also tried to intimidate the journalists and said, "There are many mistakes you've made. I promise we will find them. It seems like you have lotta hearsay on your hands. I'm gonna say this nicely: Get the facts right. You're journalists."
The media mogul has been accused of nearly 30 years of sexual misconduct by many women following which he was kicked out of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in October 2017 after the aforementioned article exposed him.
In September this year, Weinstein will go on trial in New York on charges of raping an unidentified female friend in his Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on another woman in 2006.
More than 80 women, including actors Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Rose McGowan have opened up about similar stories against Weinstein.
Weinstein is also trying to get the sex trafficking charges removed out of a lawsuit filed by actor Wedil David which accuses him of raping the actor in 2015.
The producer in May reached a tentative USD 44 million settlement to resolve lawsuits filed by women accusing him of sexual misconduct. However, David opted out of the settlement.
Recently, his lawyer filed a Hail Mary motion to dismiss two of the five remaining counts against him and asserted that one they should be dropped because they are based on the same alleged crimes, Page Six reported.
