Harvey Weinstein Talks Bar Mitzvah And Quotes Jay-Z In Rambling Pseudo-Apology

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By Reuters October 6, 2017

Oscar-winning movie producer Harvey Weinstein on Thursday responded to bombshell allegations of sexual harassment by mentioning his bar mitzvah, blasting the gun lobby and President Trump — and quoting rapper Jay-Z in a rambling statement.

He later threatened to sue the New York Times over the report.

“I am going to need a place to channel that anger, so I’ve decided that I’m going to give the NRA my full attention,” he said, adding that he planned to host a retirement party for National Rifle Association chief Wayne LaPierre “at the same (place) I had my Bar Mitzvah.”

He quoted Jay-Z as saying “I’m not the man I thought I was, and I better be that man for my children,” but the excerpt from Jay-Z’s “4:44” isn’t actually a Jay-Z quote.

He also apologized, vowed to step back from his business, seek therapy and take advice from high-profile lawyer Lisa Bloom.

The Times said Weinstein has reached confidential settlements with at least eight women, including actress Rose McGowan. A former Weinstein Co. employee, Lauren O’Connor, detailed some of the allegations over a two-year period in a memo cited by the Times report.

Weinstein’s attorney Charles J. Harder later put out a statement saying the newspaper’s story was defamatory because it relied on “mostly hearsay accounts and a faulty report.”

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