Bill Cosby's Publicist Issues Statement on Weinstein Verdict

Earlier this morning, Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of criminal sexual assault in the first degree and rape in the third degree, and for some reason, Bill Cosby’s publicist Andrew Wyatt has decided to weigh in with a statement on the disgraced comedian’s Instagram responding to the verdict.

Wyatt — who, again, could have simply remained silent — likens Weinstein’s plight to that of his client, who was found guilty on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in 2018 and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. “This is not shocking because these jurors were not sequestered, which gave them access to media coverage and the sentiments of public opinion,” he writes. “There’s no way you would have anyone believe that Mr. Weinstein was going to receive a fair and impartial trial. Also, this judge showed that he wanted a conviction by sending the jurors back to deliberate, after they were hung on many of the counts. Here’s the question that should haunt all Americans, especially wealthy and famous men … 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?”

“Who will think of the wealthy and famous men?” is enough to try to wrap our heads around this afternoon, but Wyatt continued, arguing that the #MeToo movement is only about white women, writing, “Lastly, if the #metoo movement isn’t just about Becky [White women], I would challenge #metoo and ask them to go back 400+ years and tarnish the names of those oppressors that raped slaves. This is a very sad day in the American Judicial System.” (It’s perhaps worth noting that several of Cosby’s accusers are women of color, and one, Jewel Allison, told The Cut, “I had a few moments where I tried to come forward. But I was just too scared, and I also had the extra burden of not really wanting to take an African-American man down.”)

Wyatt also recently issued a statement on behalf of Cosby in response to Eddie Murphy’s joke about him on Saturday Night Live, calling Murphy a “Hollywood slave.”

You can read Wyatt’s statement in its entirety below.

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Official Statement From Andrew Wyatt Regarding The Verdict Of Harvey Weinstein: This is not shocking because these jurors were not sequestered, which gave them access to media coverage and the sentiments of public opinion. There’s no way you would have anyone believe that Mr. Weinstein was going to receive a fair and impartial trial. Also, this judge showed that he wanted a conviction by sending the jurors back to deliberate, after they were hung on many of the counts. Here’s the question that should haunt all Americans, especially wealthy and famous men…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? Lastly, if the #metoo movement isn’t just about Becky [White women], I would challenge #metoo and ask them to go back 400+ years and tarnish the names of those oppressors that raped slaves. This is a very sad day in the American Judicial System. #FreeBillCosby #FarFromFinished #DueProcess #JusticeReform

A post shared by Bill Cosby (@billcosby) on Feb 24, 2020 at 11:17am PST