Harvey Weinstein Used Ben Affleck Emails To Deny Rose McGowan Rape Allegation

Harvey Weinstein has finally broken his silence to respond to accusations of rape by actress Rose McGowan.

Speaking via his lawyer, Sky News reports the film producer has offered alleged email correspondence between Oscar-winning actor Ben Affleck and McGowan's former manager, Jill Messick, to prove the accusations are false.

In her new memoir Brave, McGowan claims she was 'raped' by the 65-year-old the Sundance Film Festival in Utah in 1997.

In the emails cited by Weinstein's lawyer and sent several months before the Weinstein claims first came to light, Affleck allegedly says he had no information regarding any sexual assault.

'She never told me nor did I ever infer that she was attacked by anyone,' read the cited emails from Affleck, dated 26 July 2017.

'Any accounts to the contrary are false. I have no knowledge about anything Rose did or claimed to have done.'

The alleged quotes from the emails appear to differ from statements made in Affleck's November 2017 interview on NBC's Today Show in which he said he believed claims that Weinstein had raped McGowan in 1997.

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The comments appeared to confirms the actress' previous claims on Twitter (dated 10 October 2017) that she told him of the alleged rape at a photo opportunity of their film Going All The Way.

In her book, the 44-year-old star claims that as she turned to leave a meeting in the producer's Utah hotel suite, Weinstein undressed her, forced her into a hot tub, and performed oral sex on her against her will.

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Another email used by Weinstein's lawyer as a defence was sent by McGowan's former manager who said she had spoken to McGowan after the alleged rape.

'When we met up the following day, she hesitantly told me of her own accord that during the meeting that night before she had gotten into a hot tub with Mr Weinstein,' Messick's email reads.

'She was very clear about the fact that getting into that hot tub was something that she did consensually and that in hindsight it was also something that she regretted having done.'

In a statement, Weinstein's lawyer said: 'As a general matter, Harvey Weinstein and his attorneys have refrained from publicly criticising any of the women who have made allegations of sexual assault against Mr Weinstein despite a wealth of evidence that would demonstrate the patent falsity of these claims.

'Watching the "performance" by Rose McGowan as she looks to promote her new book however, has made it impossible to remain quiet as she tries to smear Mr Weinstein with a bold lie that is denied not only by Mr Weinstein himself, but by at least two witnesses.'

In a response to Weinstein's lawyer on Twitter, McGowan posted:

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McGowan reportedly once reached a $100,000 (£70,000) settlement with Weinstein but later spoke out, saying she had been 'silenced for 20 years' and had been 'harassed' and 'maligned'.

Last night, E! premiered McGowan's documentary series Citizen Rose in which the network says shows the star making her 'voice heard as a pivotal figurehead for the movement in speaking out against and combatting sexual harassment in Hollywood and all work places'.

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Weinstein, who is the subject of a number of accusations of rape, sexual misconduct and sexual harassment, has 'unequivocally' denied all allegations.

Katie O'Malley

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Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.