- Gavin Newsom's wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom testified again in Harvey Weinstein's LA rape trial.
- On Tuesday, Siebel Newsom faced intense cross-examination from Weinstein's attorneys.
Harvey Weinstein's attorney pressed California governor Gavin Newsom's wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom at Weinstein's Los Angeles trial on rape charges Tuesday, attempting to poke holes in her testimony during a testy cross-examination.
Siebel Newsom took the stand for the second day on Tuesday, clashing with Weinstein attorney Mark Werksman through his rapid line of questioning, which centered around Newsom's allegation and previous testimony that Weinstein raped her at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills in 2005.
Weinstein — who is already serving a 23-year sentence after a separate trial in New York — is currently standing trial in LA on 7 counts of sexual assault, stemming from the allegations of five different women who say he abused them in hotels between 2004 and 2013. Weinstein denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty.
Werksman zeroed in on what Siebel Newsom told Los Angeles District Attorney investigators and a grand jury in 2020 about the alleged assault, also prodding her testimony from Monday. Siebel Newsom told Werksman that she initially thought her claim was beyond the statute of limitations.
"When you told the police, do you think that the things that you told police would lead to the filing of criminal charges?" Werksman asked, according to the trial pool report. "I honestly was just telling my truth and I didn't know what the outcome was going to be," Siebel Newsom replied.
Siebel Newsom said under questioning Tuesday that she was unsure if she told police that in an effort to exit the assault, she helped Weinstein ejaculate, as she testified yesterday.
"Sometimes things are in my head and I can't remember whether I've said them or not," Siebel Newsom said.
"Yesterday you mentioned having nightmares. Have you had a difficult time actually discerning what happened in a nightmare and what actually happened in a bedroom at the Peninsula?" Werksman asked. "No, no." Siebel Newsom answered.
"Over the last several days my client, Jane Doe 4, took the very difficult and painful step to publicly recount her sexual assault at the hands of Harvey Weinstein. She knew that it might have been easier to keep the memory of her 2005 assault buried, but she could not," Siebel Newsom's attorney Elizabeth Fegan told Insider in a statement. "Throughout her testimony she demonstrated tremendous strength and resolve in telling her truth and stood fast as Weinstein's defense team ruthlessly tried to discredit her."
On Monday, Siebel Newsom testified that to exit the situation, she made "pleasure sounds" and helped Weinstein ejaculate with her hand, then managed to dress and leave the room. Through Werksman's questions, Siebel Newsom had taken issue with Werksman's use of the word "orgasm."
"You had faked an orgasm," Werksman said. "It was not long. This is not When Harry Met Sally." Siebel Newsom said, telling Werksman the use of the word orgasm was "so gross."
In opening statements, Werksman said Siebel Newsom would "be just another bimbo who slept with Harvey Weinstein to get ahead in Hollywood" if she didn't call herself a victim of rape.
Werksman suggested in opening statements that two of the women's accounts were false, while the other three women engaged in "transactional sex" with Weinstein to further their careers.
"Your energy is just so intense, you're just adding things," Siebel Newsom told Werksman, who welcomed her to correct him and said she didn't answer some of his questions.