Shelby Talcott on October 9, 2019
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s publicist made a phone call to journalist Ronan Farrow in 2017 and noted the Harvey Weinstein story he was working on was a “concern” for Clinton, Farrow’s upcoming book alleges.
“Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators” gives a detailed account of the sexual assault allegations against now-disgraced movie mogul Weinstein and the cover-up attempts made by those “from Hollywood to Washington and beyond,” the Amazon description reads.
Nick Merrill, Clinton’s publicist at the time, allegedly played a roll in pushing for the story to be dropped, Farrow’s book reads according to Hollywood Reporter. Merrill called Farrow in 2017 and said that the “big story” he was working on – the Weinstein story – would be bad news for the former first lady, according to the book.
The New Yorker published Farrow’s Weinstein story on October 10, 2017, and the story details a ten-month investigation by Farrow. Thirteen women accused Weinstein of sexually harassing or assaulting them, the article reads. Farrow’s book, available October 15, delves into the cover-up attempts that he discovered during the investigation.
The Weinstein Company fired Weinstein in October of 2017 and arrested in 2018 on rape and sexual misconduct allegations. Another indictment was issued in 2019 and Weinstein’s trial is expected to be in January of 2020.
The Pulitzer-prize winning investigative journalist’s book includes an allegation that Weinstein used his long-term relationship with Clinton to try to pressure Farrow into dropping the investigation.
The phone call came as Farrow was trying to get an interview with Clinton for a foreign policy book he was working on – as he was also working on the Weinstein book, according to Hollywood Reporter. (RELATED: Harvey Weinstein Accusers Reach $44 Million Settlement In Sexual Misconduct Case)
Following Merrill’s phone call, Weinstein wrote to ex-president of NBC News and current head of NBC News International Deborah Turness. He pitched the network a docuseries with Clinton, according to Hollywood Reporter. Turness replied saying that the idea “sounds absolutely stunning,” Hollywood Reporter wrote citing an email.
Weinstein’s friendship with Clinton extended into her 2016 campaign, where he donated over $26,000 to campaigns or committees backing her dating back to 2000, Business Insider reported. Weinstein also donated $10,000 to former President Bill Clinton when he was impeached in 1998, according to a 2017 New York Times article.
Hillary Clinton’s aides warned her about Weinstein’s treatment of women, the NYT article notes. Hillary Clinton spoke out and condemned Weinstein following the allegations.
“I was shocked and appalled by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein,” she said in 2017. “The behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated. Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior.
Merrill did not immediately respond to a request for comment by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
