Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary film-maker and the wife of California governor Gavin Newsom, has taken the stand at the rape trial of Harvey Weinstein, becoming the most prominent woman so far to testify against the former Hollywood producer.
More than 90 women have publicly accused Weinstein of rape, sexual assault or sexual misconduct, including powerful A-list actors such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. But none of the women who have previously testified in criminal trials against Weinstein in New York and Los Angeles have had anywhere near the prominence of Siebel Newsom, an accomplished film-maker whose partner recently sailed to a second term as governor of the nation’s most populous state and could eventually make a White House run.
Weinstein’s defense took an aggressive stance toward Siebel Newsom in opening statements last month, with defense attorney Mark Werksman accusing her of presenting herself as a #MeToo victim to avoid being “just another bimbo…
This article was written by Lois Beckett in Los Angeles and agencies and originally published on www.theguardian.com