Joe Biden spoke out about Harvey Weinstein, calling his actions “disgusting” and “immoral”

Former Vice President Joe Biden has consistently made it a priority to use his platform to stand up for women. Most recently, Joe Biden made a statement about Harvey Weinstein, in which he called the former Hollywood exec “disgusting” and “immoral.”
Weinstein has recently been the subject of two investigative reports by The New York Times and The New Yorker, both of which allege he has sexually harassed and assaulted young women countless times throughout his career. In the wake of the reports and his firing, many celebrities have spoken out on Twitter and in official statements about their own disturbing experiences with Weinstein.
Biden’s commented this week in Manhattan while speaking at a fundraiser for the Anti-Violence Project, an organization that serves LGBTQ victims of violence. He said:
"This disgusting behavior, at least on the part of Harvey Weinstein, has been brought to an abrupt and justifiable end. But it's long past time for the powerful men in Hollywood to speak up, to be strong enough to say something, because silence is complicity."
Thank you @JoeBiden Thank you. @antiviolence pic.twitter.com/TWtvWkgPZG
— Emma Myles (@_emmamyles) October 12, 2017
Biden added,"A man who had power over scores of women and their careers — the ultimate abuse of power in a disgusting, immoral, and inexcusable way."
Actor @Mariska introducing @JoeBiden at the #AVPcourage awards in NYC Wednesday night. @antiviolence pic.twitter.com/Qfh4Rt3sIs
— NBC Out (@NBCOUT) October 11, 2017
This isn’t the first time Biden has spoken out about the role men play in perpetuating and enabling rape culture. Last year, the former vice president wrote a moving letter to the Stanford student who was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner after she released a powerful essay about the experience. Biden wrote,
"I am filled with furious anger — both that this happened to you and that our culture is still so broken that you were ever put in the position of defending your own worth....It must have been wrenching — to relive what he did to you all over again. But you did it anyway, in the hope that your strength might prevent this crime from happening to someone else. Your bravery is breathtaking."
We are heartened to see a person in a position of both power and privilege use his platform to condemn Weinstein’s actions and to make it clear that men have the power to police other men when sexual harassment takes place. Women — as well as men who fall victim to these power dynamics — need allies in the fight against sexual abuse. We thank the former vice president for his comments.