Hillary Clinton And The Obamas Respond To Harvey Weinstein Allegations. Clinton Says She'll Donate Funds To Charity.

The 2016 Democratic presidential nominee said she was "appalled" by the allegations, while Obama said he and his wife were "disgusted."

Hillary Clinton said Tuesday she was "shocked and appalled" by allegations that movie producer Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted numerous women — five days after they were made public by the New York Times.

Former President Obama followed up later in the day, issuing a joint statement with his wife that said they were "disgusted" with the allegations.

But neither Clinton nor Obama initially mentioned the money raised by Weinstein, a longtime Democratic campaign donor and fundraiser, to support their respective presidential campaigns.

On Wednesday, Clinton told CNN's Fareed Zakaria she would be donating Weinstein's donations to charity, but suggested it would be part of her usual 10% of income contribution to charities every year.

"Of course I will do that," Clinton said. "I give 10% of my income to charity every year. This will be part of that. There's no doubt about it."

Hillary Clinton tells @FareedZakaria she'll donate Weinstein contribs to charity - as part of her usual 10% income… https://t.co/YrbY2puehX

Clinton's spokesman, Nick Merrill, clarified on Twitter Wednesday night that Clinton would be making her usual charity contribution of 10% of her income, in addition to donating the campaign contributions made by Weinstein.

Clinton herself told a British outlet that the campaign donations would also be donated. "We're going to, yes. Absolutely," she said. "It has to come out of our campaign funds, so there's a little more... but it will be done."

Hillary Clinton says she “did not hear” the rumours about Harvey Weinstein, who donated thousands of dollars to her… https://t.co/Fh5txFD3yt

Last Thursday, a New York Times detailed multiple allegations of sexual harassment against Weinstein. On Sunday, he was fired from the company he cofounded, the Weinstein Company.

By Tuesday afternoon, new investigations in the New Yorker and New York Times detailed additional allegations of sex assault and harassment, including forced oral and vaginal intercourse.

Not long after, Clinton's statement was released in a tweet from her press secretary Nick Merrill.

"I was shocked and appalled by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein," Clinton said. "The behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated. Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior."

The Obamas released their statement later in the afternoon, praising the women who have come forward "to tell these painful stories."

The Obamas release a statement on Harvey Weinstein:

But like Clinton's earlier statement, they made no mention of the political donations made by the Weinstein over the years.

Democrats in the US Senate rushed last week to condemn the film executive and donate any contributions received from the movie executive to charities.

Bill and Hillary Clinton have accepted thousands of dollars from Weinstein since at least the 1990s — including more than $35,000 in last year's presidential campaign. Obama, who also benefited from Weinstein's fundraising and donations, has not publicly stated any intention of donating the funds.

Asked about donating the 2016 campaign contributions, Clinton's vice presidential running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, told CNN on Tuesday, "The campaign is over."

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