The lawyer advising Harvey Weinstein said Friday in response to allegations of sexual harassment that the Hollywood producer has "acknowledged that there was misconduct over a period of time."
Lisa Bloom spoke to "Good Morning America's" George Stephanopoulos after allegations of sexual harassment against the Democratic donor were revealed in an article published by the New York Times on Thursday.
Stephanopoulos began the interview by pointing out that representing Weinstein seems an odd choice for Bloom, who has, in the past, been more likely to represent victims of sexual harassment.
Bloom is a lawyer and founder of The Bloom Firm, an entity that has represented celebrity clients, including Kathy Griffin and Mischa Barton, as well as ordinary people seeking justice in all areas of civil litigation and family law. She has focused on representing victims of domestic violence, sexual harassment, race or sex discrimination, sexual assault, and police excessive force, according to her website. Most recently, she touted her ability to create and execute "media and legal strategy" that ended with Fox News host Bill O’Reilly resigning.
Bloom acknowledged that she had questions for Weinstein at the start, and the "sexual harassment rumors have been circling around him for a long time."
Bloom explained that Weinstein showed remorse, and that led her to see a different way forward. She then gave insight into the plan she laid out for her client.
"We have to throw out the old playbook," she said she told Weinstein at the time.
"You're not going to be attacking women, you're not going to be disrespecting women, you're not going to be digging up dirt on them and embarrassing them. You know, that's the tired old way to go," Bloom said. "If you are generally remorseful, say so, admit what you've done wrong, apologize, and let's have your actions speak for yourself."
Stephanopoulos then asked directly about the sexual harassment accusations.
"Did he sexually harass women?" Stephanopoulos asked.
"I think Harvey has acknowledged, yes, that there was misconduct over a period of years." Bloom said.
"He has, certainly, a very bad temper, and that's a big part of the problem," she continued. "He's well known for that. He's a big loud guy. People are intimidated by him."
Stephanopoulos said it wasn't just about "bad behavior," but specifically about "sexual harassment" and asked about a specific acquisitions made by actress Ashley Judd.
"She went for a business meeting, said he ‘proposed a massage, asked if she would watch him shower’, Stephanopoulos said. "Is she lying?"
"No, no. I have great respect for Ashley Judd, and so does Harvey," Bloom said.
"He said she changed her story," Stephanopoulos said.
"They might have a little different perspective of what happened 20 years ago," Bloom responded.
"I’m happy they come forward, I encourage them to come forward. Harvey has authorized me to say that, okay," She said. "This is a very different day. What do you do if you have behaved badly for 30 years? Are you going to continue, or are you going to start a different approach."
Citing the Times article, which included accounts from eight different women, the ABC host commented on the pattern of behavior.
"This is a real pattern over 30 years. This is like textbook sexual harassment," Stephanopoulos said.
Bloom agreed.
"It’s gross, yeah," Bloom replied.
"It’s illegal," Stephanopoulos said.
"Yes. You know, I agree," Bloom said.
Watch the full interview here:
https://youtu.be/YlPFoJIEpjs