Ehud Barak referred Weinstein to ex-Mossad agents he hired to quash allegations
Former prime minister Ehud Barak put the now-disgraced
Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in touch with an Israeli firm comprised
mostly of ex-Mossad agents, which Weinstein hired to suppress news stories
detailing allegations of sexual harassment and assault against dozens of women.
The New Yorker on Monday reported that Weinstein hired
private security agencies to “collect information on the women and journalists
trying to expose the allegations” that he serially assaulted women, among them
Black Cube, a private Israeli intelligence agency headquartered in Tel Aviv.
After Channel 2 reported on Tuesday that Weinstein was
introduced to Black Cube by Barak, the former prime minister admitted to
putting the producer in touch with agency, but said he did not know why
Weinstein was interested in its services.
“Over a year ago, Barak was asked by Harvey Weinstein if he
knew an Israeli company he had heard of, that was capable of helping him with
business issues he had. Barak confirmed to [Weinstein] the company he heard of
was likely Black Cube,” a spokesperson for Barak said in a statement. “Barak is
not personally familiar with the firm or its executives but gave Weinstein its
contact information.”
“Barak was not aware until this morning of the fact the
company was hired by Weinstein, or for what purposes or operations,” the
statement added.
Black Cube told Channel 2 in response to the report that it
has a policy of not discussing its clients, but stressed its work is always
legal.
On its website, the agency bills itself as a “select group
of veterans from the Israeli elite intelligence units that specializes in
tailored solutions to complex business and litigation challenges.”
Ronan Farrow, who also authored the initial New Yorker
report that detailed claims against Weinstein, said he obtained a copy of the
contract between Weinstein and Black Cube that was signed in July.
Farrow reported the “explicit goal of the investigations,”
was to “stop the publication of the abuse allegations against Weinstein.”
According to the report, during the one-year period the firm
worked for Weinstein, Black Cube agents targeted dozens of individuals to
collect personal information on them, including their sexual histories, in a
bid to prevent them from publicly accusing Weinstein of sexual harassment or
assault.
It said two Black Cube operatives met with Rose McGowan, an
American actress who accuses Weinstein of raping her, using fake identities — one
as a women’s rights advocate — and secretly recorded their conversations.
Weinstein was said to have closely monitored this work as it
was ongoing, although his lawyers worked with investigators as well. This
included David Boies, who is most famous for having represented former vice
president Al Gore in the highly-consequential Supreme Court case Bush v. Gore.
Boies himself signed the contract with Black Cube
stipulating that they would work to stop The New York Times from publishing its
story on Weinstein. At the same time, his firm was representing The New York
Times in separate cases. Boies confirmed to The New Yorker that his law firm
engaged in these contracts.
Weinstein’s spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister issued a statement
to The New Yorker that accused it of trafficking in “inaccuracies and wild
conspiracy theories.”
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