Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Wife Of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Testifies In Harvey Weinstein’s L.A. Trial

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), has testified in Harvey Weinstein‘s second sexual assault trial.

Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to 11 sexual assault charges for incidents involving four women that took place in Los Angeles between 2004 and 2013. The charges include rape, forced oral sex, sexual battery by restraint and forced sexual penetration.

Siebel Newsom testified that Weinstein raped her in a hotel room in 2005.

Siebel Newsom is known for writing and producing documentaries, most notably Miss Representation and The Mask We Live In.

The filmmaker provided emotional testimony in the trial that began three weeks ago. When Siebel Newsom was asked to identify Weinstein in court, she began to cry.

“He’s wearing a suit, and a blue tie, and he’s staring at me,” she said. The filmmaker remained emotional throughout her two-and-a-half-hour testimony.

Siebel Newsom testified that she believed Weinstein was interested in discussing her work when he invited her to his hotel in 2005. She said she was worried Weinstein would ruin her career if she attempted to leave the room. She alleged that Weinstein forcibly moved her to his hotel bedroom where he raped her.

Weinstein’s lawyers are alleging that the two had consensual sex and that Siebel Newsom is using the producer to advance her career.

Siebel Newsom is one of eight women expected to testify in Weinstein’s California trial, which closely resembles that which took place in New York.

Weinstein was already convicted in 2020 of a first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape charges, for which he was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

In August, New York’s highest court agreed to hear Weinstein’s appeal challenging these sex crimes.