Jennifer Siebel Newsom Gets Judge Approval Not to Read Her Emails Sent to Harvey Weinstein | California Governor Finally Reacts
A Los Angeles judge denied Harvey Weinstein's lawyers' request to read out in court the emails sent by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, to the former film mogul.
According to Daily Mail, Judge Lisa Lench ruled before the trial started that Weinstein's lawyers can introduce evidence of the emails sent to their client by Siebel Newsom. However, they will not be allowed to discuss the underlying issue behind the emails in front of the jury, calling it "too tangential in relation to this trial."
On Thursday, the defense reiterated their request to read out in court the emails sent by Siebel Newsom to Weinstein after he allegedly raped her.
It included a 2007 email from Siebel Newsom, seeking Weinstein's advice on handling the PR fallout amid a scandal involving then San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom.
Newsom publicly admitted in February 2007 that he had an affair in 2005 with his campaign manager's wife. He was in the midst of his divorce from Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle at the time, Mercury News reported.
The camp of California's first lady opposed the request of Weinstein lawyer's to allow the emails to be read out in court on Thursday.
Siebel Newsom, who was not present in the courtroom, reportedly said: "I'm not going to let you get into the whole details of the sex scandal." The judge sided with her and maintained her earlier decision.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom Sends Dozens of Emails to Harvey Weinstein Even After She Was Raped
Jennifer Siebel Newsom testified on Monday and Tuesday, making her the fourth witness on Harvey Weinstein's second sexual assault trial in Los Angeles.
The California first lady alleged that Weinstein raped her at the Peninsula hotel in Beverly Hills in 2005, when she was trying to build a career as an actor and producer.
She also admitted faking an orgasm with Weinstein. She told the court that she made "pleasure noises" after putting her hand on the penis of the former Hollywood executive to encourage him to ejaculate so he "would be done."
On Tuesday, Mark Werksman, Weinstein's lawyer, asked Siebel Newsom about dozens of emails she sent to Weinstein after he raped her or between 2006 and 2008. The lawyer said it included emails soliciting support for her husband's mayoral campaign in San Francisco.
Siebel Newsom admitted that she kept in contact with Weinstein even after he raped her because she wanted to keep a cordial relationship with "the most powerful person in the industry," who "could make or ruin your career."
She added that she sends email blasts to large groups of people that included producers, directors, writers, executives, and agents, without realizing that Weinstein was part of that group.
"I have sent hundreds of thousands of emails to people all around the world... It's a long list of people... I was trying to help my boyfriend, almost husband," she noted, adding that "Weinstein was a big Democratic donor."
The lawyer also cited a 2007 email wherein Siebel Newsom thanked Weinstein for including her and her husband at an Oscars party. Werksman said she also invited the former Hollywood executive to a screening of one of her films.
The lawyer asked her again why she would continue communicating with the man who she claimed raped her, she said: "I was just hustling [and] networking." Her answer suprised Werksman, who shot back, "You were hustling with the man you claimed violently raped you?"
During the long cross-examination, Siebel Newsom frequently told Werksman that he was taking her statements "out of context" and "putting words" into her mouth.
The jury was dismissed on Thursday afternoon after the final witness of the prosecution, a member of Los Angeles Police Department who worked on the case, provided a short summary of his work. Weinstein's lawyers had tried to convince the judge to dismiss all the charges against him, but the judge refused.
"The defendant's motion is denied. I think there is enough evidence to send all these counts to the jury, and I will do so," the judge noted.
The prosecution on Thursday rested its case against Weinstein, who has pleaded not guilty. The defense will start their case on November 28.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Praises Jennifer Siebel Newsom's Harvey Weinstein Testimony
California Governor Gavin Newsom has spoken highly of his wife for the "grit" she shown during her days of testimony in the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault trial.
In a press conference in Napa on Thursday, Newsom said he has "a lot to share" after the legal proceedings. A source told Variety that the California governor was at the court on both days to support his wife.
"I couldn't be more proud of my wife. You want to talk about grit, you want to talk about courage, you want to talk about someone I admire? I couldn't be more (proud). And I saw that first hand. So I'll leave it at that," said Newsom, as Sacramento Bee reported.
Harvey Weinstein is facing charges for allegedly sexually assaulting four women in Los Angeles between 2004 and 2013. He is already serving 23 years in jail in New York after being convicted of rape and criminal sexual assault in 2020.
Weinstein's lawyers denied that he assaulted the women accusing him in the Los Angeles trial. They argued that the alleged sexual assaults either did not happen or were consensual affairs in which the alleged victims exchanged sex for professional favors.
If convicted on two counts of rape and five counts of sexual assault, Harvey Weinstein faces a maximum sentence of 65 years to life in prison.
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Written by: Bert Hoover
WATCH: California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom Testifies in Weinstein Trial - From FOX 11 Los Angeles