Nolte: Media Accused of Ignoring Flaws in Harvey Weinstein Accusers’ Allegations
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There’s no question Harvey Weinstein is a monster, a loathsome human being to deal with in any capacity. That reputation was firmly in place decades prior to the #MeToo movement. There also doesn’t seem to be any doubt Weinstein abuses his power to keep his casting couch busy, and while exploiting needy and beautiful young women in this way is disgusting behavior, it’s not criminal. And that’s all that matters.
As much as I despise Weinstein and everything he stands for (and have for decades), that has no bearing on the criminal charges against him, which is why I haven’t been writing about the case — I just don’t know what to think about it… Because I went so hard after Roman Polanski some ten years ago when it looked like he might finally face justice for raping and sodomizing a 13-year-old girl back in the 70s, everyone thinks I’m a hard ass when it comes to this stuff, but that’s not true at all.
Polanski admitted to the rape and then fled justice before paying for his unspeakable crime. He’s an admitted child rapist and a fugitive. He’s guilty. Period. If I’m a hard ass about anything, it’s the presumption of innocence and the rights of the accused. I’m the guy who defended Woody Allen and Bryan Singer. I’m the guy who would rather see a thousand guilty men go free than one innocent man put in prison. And when I see how despised Weinstein is and how trendy #MeToo is, when I realize what a feather Weinstein’s conviction will put in the cap of the prosecutors, what I see is a case ripe for abuse.
Simply put, Weinstein is the perfect scapegoat.
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