Mimi Haleyi‘s testimony helped get the Oscar-winning Harvey Weinstein convicted of criminal sex acts that could land him in jail for up to 29 years. Sentencing is set for March 11th, but for now, Haleyi tells CBS This Morning, she is satisfied.
Haleyi said: “I was actually in a coffee shop and um when it kind of popped up on a screen from a friend. And I just sat down and I started crying and I had to go out into the street because I don’t want to be crying in a coffee shop. It was just a huge sense of relief — just the relief that the jury got it, that they believed me and I was heard and um yeah, I was just grateful that they got it.”
She said that she believes it’s a huge turning point for the culture at large, a notion that several other pundits echoed.
Haleyi said: “I just think that we’re being educated about the reality of sexual assault and sexual assault victims. It’s not always just a stranger. It’s very often somebody that the person knows, and with that comes an entire other layer of processing.”
President Donald Trump said of the conviction that it “sends a very strong message. He was a person I didn't like. The people that liked him were the Democrats. Michelle Obama loved him. Loved him. Hillary Clinton loved him.”
Trump was accused of sexual misconduct when he was a private citizen, but he has denied the allegations, and has not been charged.
Weinstein was convicted of attacking her and Jessica Mann. All told, more than 80 women accused him of assault, and now he is facing four additional charges in L.A. His defense attorney Arthur Aidala told reporters that he was “flabbergasted” by the verdict. “He doesn't know how this happened.”
After his conviction, he was escorted to jail. On Monday, experiencing chest pains, he was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he is being observed as a “precautionary measure,” according to reps. His doctors and the judge will decide when he is well enough to be released.