Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein had a close relationship with President Barack Obama, visiting the White House complex on 13 occasions during the Obama presidency, according to visitor records.
Nine of his visits were with President Obama himself, including some events together with first lady Michelle Obama.
Other visits were with high-level staffers Valerie Jarrett, Michelle Obama’s aide Melissa Winter, and Jeremy Weinstein, who served on the National Security Council between 2009 and 2011.
The New York Times reported that Weinstein has been accused of numerous sexual harassment incidents throughout his career as a movie producer.
The Obamas routinely visited with Weinstein at fundraisers, some of them hosted by Weinstein and his wife Georgina Chapman.
“I have to thank Harvey and Georgina for once again extending incredible hospitality to us,” Obama said during a fundraiser in 2013 in Manhattan. “We are so grateful for their friendship and support, and for the amazing movies that they’ve made.”
Obama’s daughter Malia was an intern in the New York office of The Weinstein Co. as part of her “gap year” before entering Harvard University.