Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel donated nearly $11,000 in campaign contributions from disgraced Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein to a mentoring group for at-risk young girls.
Emanuel's campaign cut a check for $10,900 dollars to Working on Womanhood Monday, a campaign spokesman confirmed.
That money is the equivalent of two donations Emanuel received from Weinstein - one for $5,300 in Sept. 2013, and another for $5,600 in June of this year, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. [[450170553, C]]
Emanuel's donation came five days after a bombshell report from The New York Times detailed decades of sexual harassment allegations against the powerful film producer, who was subsequently fired from The Weinstein Company that he co-founded with his brother Bob in 2005.
The Times' report on Weinstein included allegations that he settled sexual harassment lawsuits with at least eight women, including two assistants, an actress and a model.
That exposé was followed with another New York Times piece in which Oscar-winning actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie alleged Weinstein harassed them, as well as an investigation from The New Yorker that included accusations from three actresses that Weinstein raped them - both published Tuesday. [[450091563, C]]
While Weinstein did not deny the initial allegations reported by the Times, he did apologize, saying in a statement Thursday, "I came of age in the 60’s and 70’s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then. I have since learned it’s not an excuse, in the office - or out of it. To anyone."
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"I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it," his statement continued.
Following Tuesday's report in The New Yorker, a spokeswoman for Weinstein said, "Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances. Mr. Weinstein obviously can’t speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr. Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual. Mr. Weinstein has begun counseling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path. Mr. Weinstein is hoping that, if he makes enough progress, he will be given a second chance."
Weinstein has long been active in politics, giving more than $1.4 million in campaign contributions since 1992, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. [[450193053, C]]
A majority of his contributions have gone to Democratic lawmakers and affiliated groups, including Emanuel, Sen. Dick Durbin, 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee, and more.
The reports sparked a wave of politicians donating those contributions to various charities. A spokesman for Durbin said Tuesday that the $1,000 he received from Weinstein in 1995 would be sent to the American Red Cross.
Emanuel's donation to Working on Womanhood, which is part of the nonprofit organization Youth Guidance, followed the City of Chicago's expansion of the initiative's mentoring services, which was announced in February of this year.
At the time, the mayor touted the program - which in part looks to counter the impact of violence and trauma in high-risk communities - as a core component of his plan to improve public safety citywide.
