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Perez Refuses to Say Whether DNC Will Return All Weinstein Contributions

October 14, 2017

Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez would not say Friday whether the DNC would return all of its contributions from movie mogul Harvey Weinstein as he stands accused of decades of sexual harassment and assault.

Weinstein is a longtime Democratic donor who has given $300,000 to the DNC. However, the DNC announced last week it was only donating $30,000 of that money. Furthermore, the groups getting the cash were openly pro-Democratic organizations Higher Heights, Emily's List, and Emerge America.

After an event at the University of Wisconsin on Friday, Perez was asked by a tracker whether the DNC would return its contributions from Weinstein.

"You have a nice weekend, sir," Perez said without looking.

DNC vice-chair Keith Ellison (D., Minn.) similarly dodged the question when asked about the subject on Wednesday.

"I don't have any comments for you right now. I don't know you, and I don't take questions like this," Ellison said sharply.

Under Perez, the DNC has struggled in fundraising and was more than $4 million in debt as of an August fundraising report.

Weinstein's downfall in the aftermath of reports of his behavior has been swift. He has been fired from The Weinstein Company, and on Saturday the Oscar-winning producer was ousted from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Dozens of women have accused Weinstein of harassment and abuse in the wake of bombshell reports from the New York Times and New Yorker.

Weinstein has bundled or donated millions of dollars over the years for top Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, who have condemned his conduct and announced they are donating his contributions.