After it was revealed that film producer Harvey Weinstein had been outed for numerous allegations of sexual assault and harassment, the right-wing media was quick to link him back to the Democratic Party. While Weinstein has been a mega-donor for the Democrats, a new report finds that Breitbart's Steve Bannon has his own history with the now disgraced media mogul.
Bannon and Weinstein
It was just last week when the New York Times blew the roof off of Hollywood as it released their exclusive story on Harvey Weinstein, the co-founder of the Weinstein Company and Miramax.
According to the NYT article, Weinstein had been accused of sexual harassment multiple times over the last four decades, while he did his best to keep the allegations quiet by paying off many of the accusers. After the story broke, Weinstein quickly obtained legal counsel, but the damage was already done. Daily since the news hit the wire, high-profiled actresses have come out to confirm the contents of the story, including the likes of Ashley Judd, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Rose McGown. The allegations range from harassment to assault, which put enough pressure on the board of the Weinstein Company to fire their co-founder earlier this week. In response, conservative media outlets had a field day with the news as they used it as a talking point against the growing criticism in Hollywood against Donald Trump.
According to the Associated Press on October 11, former White House Chief Strategist and current Executive Chairman of Breitbart News, Steve Bannon, has his own history Weinstein where he was able to make a profit.
Trump adviser Steve Bannon profited from a now-defunct joint venture with The Weinstein Co. about a decade ago. https://t.co/3PWBF5OXSv
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 11, 2017
In a report by the Associated Press on Wednesday, Steve Bannon's time in the film industry can be linked back to Harvey Weinstein.
Back in 2005, Bannon was the chairman of Genius Products which distributed DVDs and other home videos. At that time, Bannon linked up with the Weinstein Company, giving Harvey and his brother Bob a 70 percent controlling interests in the company.
Steve Bannon profited from ties to Harvey Weinstein https://t.co/a36ProKghI
— CNBC (@CNBC) October 11, 2017
Once both sides came into agreement, Steve Bannon was thrilled with his new partners, saying on a conference call, "We are extremely honored to be in business with the new Weinstein Company," while going on to describe the brothers as two of the "most prolific studio heads in the history of Hollywood." As of press time, Bannon has not responded to the news in question.
The list of women accusing Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse is still growing https://t.co/CaImT9WLhv
— Mashable (@mashable) October 11, 2017
Next up
While Steve Bannon's Breitbart has led the anti-Hollywood narrative for sometime, which has only increased in the last week, many have accused him of hypocrisy due to his own ties back to Harvey Weinstein. As each day passes, only time will tell who else will be caught up in the scandal and whether or not they are innocent.
