New York Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio said no one “in their right mind” should keep political contributions from Harvey Weinstein as Democrats try to disassociate themselves from the disgraced movie mogul.
“No one in their right mind should be keeping contributions from Harvey Weinstein,” de Blasio said Thursday, taking the chance to criticize New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who was slow to give away all the money he made from Weinstein over the years.
“My message to everyone who has current accounts with money from Harvey Weinstein is, ‘Give that money back,'” de Blasio said. “Give it to charity. Get the hell away from it.”
Cuomo, who is rumored to be considering a presidential run in 2020, reversed on an earlier decision not to return or donate the total sum raised from Weinstein since his race for attorney general in 2006. Cuomo announced Oct. 6 that he would donate $50,000 — the amount Weinstein gave in 2016 and 2017 — but would do nothing about the remaining $118,204 Weinstein contributed to Cuomo’s various campaigns over the years.
Basil Smikle, a spokesman for Cuomo, said in a statement Thursday evening that the governor would take the “extraordinary step … of giving [away] all contributions from prior campaigns whose committees have been closed for years so that we can dispense with the Republican ploys and focus on the real issues.”
Earlier in the day, Cuomo had defended his decision not to purge more than $50,000 from his coffers because most of the Weinstein money had “been spent and is gone.”
Republicans were quick to tie Weinstein to Democratic candidates and causes after revelations that he allegedly abused and raped numerous women over his decades-long career. Most Democratic committees and candidates have rid themselves of money Weinstein donated in the past week.
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