Agents of artists who knew, assistants summoned to facilitate the private life of the producer, friends, journalists, or politicians: the "New York Times" conducted a new investigation on Harvey Weinstein.

Harvey Weinstein's vertiginous crash and subsequent global shock wave began in France and elsewhere on October 5 with a "New York Times" investigation into sexual assaults by the US producer.

The paper comes back with a new investigation in depth, "Weinstein's Complicity Machine", about the intertwining of complicities, silences bought or obtained by the threat, lies and intimidation that allowed the producer to crack with impunity for more than three decades.

There are now 78 women accusing him of assault or sexual harassment. Among them, 13 reports having been raped (including 10 women whose identity is publicly known). Signed by five "NY Times" journalists, this river article (7,500 words and nearly 49,000 characters) is based on "nearly 200 interviews, internal company documents and undisclosed emails", I have an overview of the case below:

"Almost everyone had an interest"

The investigation mentions among other accomplices, sometimes unconscious, the leaders of Miramax and the Weinstein Company, the companies of Harvey Weinstein, and the newspaper "The National Enquirer". The authors note:

"Some helped him to act [Weinstein] without understanding what he was doing." Many knew something or found clues, though few understood the extent of his sexual misconduct. look elsewhere or reasons to keep quiet. "

The investigation, minute and appalling, is worth the full reading. Here are some insights (including several compiled by Indiewire ).Assistants were instructed to write "Bibles" including guides to facilitate meetings with women, and to learn how to handle phone calls from Weinstein's wife. Assistants also had to buy injectable penis for erectile dysfunction, along with the company's bank card - a job paid for by a $ 500 bonus. Gwyneth Paltrow, who repulsed the producer's sexual harassment, talked with a number of women who he said had slept with her, to the benefit of his career, to push them to do the same. Disgusted, the actress told the "New York Times": "He is not the first person to lie about having been in bed with someone, but he has made a lie a weapon of assault. "

Buy or silence

Bob Weinstein, Harvey's brother and partner, participated in the payment (against their silence) of women as early as 1990. Former Miramax vice-president and lawyer Steve Hutensky, nicknamed in the company "Chief Cleaner", has drafted an agreement with British Assistant Zelda Perkins; this contract forbade him to mention Weinstein's name to anyone, even to his shrink. Many arts agents who wanted their clients to shoot Weinstein-produced movies sent actresses to meet Weinstein alone in his hotel room, and told them to shut up when things went wrong.Eight agents at Creative Artists Agency at least learned that Weinstein had harassed or threatened actresses, but they continued to arrange individual appointments.Canadian actress Mia Kirshner went to an interview with Weinstein in her hotel room, arranged by the actress's agents. The producer then offered him job opportunities in exchange for sex. "I was told to forget that, there was nothing to do about it," Kirshner reports.

Questionable links with journalists

Daily News, AJ Benza, has collected many rumors about the producer; he

was paid several times by Weinstein, "for his public relations work

during the conflict between Miramax and Disney," Weinstein's

spokesperson told The New York Times.The producer has

maintained reports of threats or complicity with the press, offering

journalists access to stars and evenings full of celebrities.

Journalists sometimes negotiated agreements for books or films with

Weinstein even though they were supposed to write about him. Weinstein

even once paid a specialist for gossip to gather gossip about

celebrities, so as to be able to exchange them against the silence on

business interesting.

The Clinton team, deaf to warnings

Actress and director Lena Dunham warned Hillary Clinton's team (which Harvey Weinstein, a well-known supporter and donor of the Democrats, supported); she says she told the assistant director of communication about the candidate's campaign: "I just want you to know that Harvey is a rapist, and it's going to come out at one time or another." Dunham told Clinton's collaborator, "It's a very bad idea for him to show up by taking part in fundraisers, because in Hollywood his problems of sexual harassment are an open secret." Magazine publisher Tina Brown also said she unsuccessfully warned the candidate's team. Last September, a few days before the explosion of the revelations, Weinstein was working on a television documentary project with Hillary Clinton.

Moments before the publication of the first report of the "New York Times" in early October, Weinstein called its authors. Alternating between flattery and threats, he told them they had the means to know who had participated in their investigation and to demolish it. "I am a man with great resources," he warned. But this time it was the end.