‘BAD PRESS’

Jennifer Siebel Newsom Asked Harvey Weinstein for Advice in 2007 Scandal

Weinstein’s attorneys are hoping the email will shed light on the pair’s relationship.

Jennier Siebel Newsom emailed Harvey Weinstein in 2007 for advice on a sex scandal two years after he allegedly raped her, Variety reports. The email, which a judge ruled Monday could be included in Weinstein’s defense, was sent to Weinstein asking for advice in handling “bad press” when her then-boyfriend Gavin Newsom (mayor of San Francisco at the time) admitted to having an affair with his campaign manager’s wife. Although the defense cannot question Siebel Newsom on the email, Weinstein’s attorneys are hoping the document is evidence of the pair’s close relationship, despite the fact Siebel Newsom was identified by the L.A. Times as Jane Doe 4 last week. “Like many other women, my client was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein at a purported business meeting that turned out to be a trap,” Siebel Newsom’s attorney, Elizabeth Fegan, said. However, Weinstein’s lawyer, Mark Werksman said the email suggests something different: “Of all things you’d think a woman that is raped by Harvey Weinstein wouldn’t do, it’s [ask him] how to deal with a sex scandal,” Weinstein’s lawyer Mark Werksman said. The former movie mogul faces 11 counts of sexual assault from allegations by five women.