In a podcast interview released Friday morning, Harvey Weinstein’s criminal defense lawyer Donna Rotunno said she has never “put” herself in the “position” to be sexually assaulted.Listeners to the
New York Times’ “The Daily” used
Twitter to respond, tweeting “NO ONE puts themself in that position,” and noting they audibly gasped at her comments.“Finding it physically difficult to listen to Donna Rotunno on today’s episode of TheDaily – so much victim blaming and anti-women rhetoric. What do we expect from a woman who makes money off protecting male predators? How does she sleep at night?” vented one user.Also Read:
Harvey Weinstein Accuser Says Her Friendly Emails 'Doesn't Change the Fact That He Raped Me'“Trying to come up with words to describe the way this interview turned my stomach. Donna Rotunno truly, truly blew my mind. Every word out of her mouth convinced me more and more that she understands nothing of what sexual assault is, as both an attorney and a woman,” wrote another.Rotunno was interviewed by New York Times reporter Megan Twohey, one of the journalists who initially broke the Weinstein story.Also Read: Audience Members Trash Bob Woodward's Moderation of
MeToo Talk: 'Aggressive and Uninformed'“I’ve always made choices, from college age on, where I never drank too much, I never went home with someone that I didn’t know,” Rotunno told Twohey. “I just never put myself in any vulnerable circumstance. Ever.”She said, “All I’m saying is that women should take precautions.”Weinstein’s criminal trial in New York County’s
Supreme Court began in early January — over two years after the New York Times and The New Yorker first broke stories about the disgraced movie mogul’s behavior toward women.Weinstein, who pleaded not guilty at his first indictment in August, faces five felony counts: two counts of predatory sexual assault, one count of first-degree criminal sexual assault, one count of first-degree rape and one count of third-degree rape. The charges stem from accusations by Mimi Haleyi and a still-unnamed woman for encounters they say occurred in 2006 and and 2013.Read original story Weinstein Lawyer Donna Rotunno Sparks Outrage by Saying She’s Never Put Herself in a ‘Position’ to Be Assaulted At TheWrap