Bill Cosby’s publicist criticized the Harvey Weinstein verdict, writing that the outcome marked a “sad day in the American judicial system,” particularly for “wealthy and famous men” seeking due process.
“Here’s the question that should haunt all Americans, especially wealthy and famous men,” Andrew Wyatt wrote in a statement posted to Cosby’s social media accounts Monday. “Where do we go in this country to find fairness and impartiality in the judicial system; and where do we go in this country to find Due Process?”
Weinstein was found guilty in a New York court Monday of third-degree rape of Jessica Mann, a former aspiring actress and a count of criminal sexual act in the first degree against Mimi Haley, a former “Project Runway” production assistant and faces a sentence of five to 25 years. Weinstein, who has been accused by more than 80 women of sexual assault and harassment spanning decades, pleaded not guilty in the case has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex.
While he was acquitted of two counts of predatory sexual assault, which each carried a sentence of up to life in prison, as well as a count of first-degree rape, the verdict nonetheless marks a historic end to a landmark trial in the #MeToo era.
The Morning Rundown
Get a head start on the morning’s top stories.
Though the jury of seven men and five women deliberated for five days, Wyatt questioned their ability to do their jobs “impartially,” claiming that because they were not sequestered and had access to media coverage, they were privy to “the sentiments of public opinion.” He also stated that the #MeToo movement was focused on “Becky [White women]” and that he would “challenge” the movement’s supporters to “go back 400+ years and tarnish the names of those oppressors that raped slaves.”
The jury was cautioned on several occasions to not read any media and there is nothing to indicate that the jury looked at media reports during the course of the trial.
He ended the post with #FreeBillCosby and #JusticeReform.
Cosby, 82, was found guilty in 2018 of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in his home in 2004. He was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. This is not the first time Cosby or one of his representatives has sought to align him with another public figure in an attempt to make a wider statement about the pitfalls of the justice system.
Upon Cosby’s conviction, Wyatt compared his client to Jesus, stating that they’ve both been “persecuted.”
And earlier this month, Cosby thanked Snoop Dogg after the rapper apparently called for Cosby’s release from prison in an Instagram post. In that post, Snoop Dogg criticized CBS’ Gayle King for mentioning the 2003 Kobe Bryant rape case, which was dropped after the accuser declined to testify and was settled civilly, in an interview with WNBA star Lisa Leslie. King called out CBS for only posting a small part of the interview and taking the comments out of context.
Snoop Dogg later issued a public apology to King. “I was raised better than that,” Snoop Dogg said in an Instagram video, adding that his comments were “disrespectful.”
“It’s so sad and disappointing that successful Black Women are being used to tarnish the image and legacy of successful Black Men, even in death,” Cosby wrote in an Instagram post. “Are these people that in need of fame, ratings and/or money? On behalf of myself, Camille and my family, thank you, thank you and thank you.”
