REUTERS/Steve Crisp
Harvey Weinstein hired private intelligence firms to meet with and gather information on actresses and journalists, Ronan Farrow reports in The New Yorker. Among those alleged spies were ex-officers from Israel’s military and intelligence services. One spy, an ex-officer in the Israel Defense Forces who now works for the intelligence group Black Cube, allegedly met with actress and Weinstein accuser Rose McGowan multiple times while posing as an investor in a women’s rights charity. The same woman also allegedly reached out to a New York magazine reporter who was researching allegations against Weinstein, as well as to Farrow and a New York Times reporter who broke the first story of Weinstein’s sexual assault allegations last month. Alleged spies posed as reporters and Weinstein accusers. Weinstein directly oversaw the investigation, emailing with the investigators, Farrow reports. The intelligence groups also reportedly compiled profiles on Weinstein’s accusers and included information on “potential negative character witnesses” and “past lovers.” One alleged spy continued to contact McGowan weeks after the Times investigation was published, The New Yorker reports.