1 00:00:01,966 --> 00:00:04,900 JUDY WOODRUFF: Finally, we return to the Harvey Weinstein story and new revelations about 2 00:00:04,900 --> 00:00:09,900 the great lengths he allegedly went to in order to quash stories, silence his accusers 3 00:00:10,766 --> 00:00:12,833 and intimidate journalists. 4 00:00:12,833 --> 00:00:16,466 The latest investigation in "The New Yorker" magazine chronicles those efforts. 5 00:00:16,466 --> 00:00:21,466 It includes details of how Weinstein hired private investigative firms to collect damaging 6 00:00:23,466 --> 00:00:27,033 information on his accusers, including one that used former Israeli intelligence agents 7 00:00:28,466 --> 00:00:33,100 to allegedly befriend and spy on actress Rose McGowan. 8 00:00:34,266 --> 00:00:35,700 McGowan has alleged that Weinstein raped her. 9 00:00:35,700 --> 00:00:37,833 He has denied that accusation. 10 00:00:37,833 --> 00:00:42,600 And his spokeswomen told "The New Yorker": "It is a fiction to suggest that any individuals 11 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,566 were targeted or suppressed at any time." 12 00:00:45,566 --> 00:00:47,500 That's a quote. 13 00:00:47,500 --> 00:00:51,166 Ronan Farrow is the journalist behind this investigation, and he joins me now. 14 00:00:51,166 --> 00:00:54,833 Ronan Farrow, this is a stunning collection of reporting. 15 00:00:54,833 --> 00:00:58,766 Do we know what triggered these actions on Harvey Weinstein's part? 16 00:00:58,766 --> 00:01:03,766 RONAN FARROW, "The New Yorker": Yes, Judy, in the fall of last year, women began to speak 17 00:01:04,933 --> 00:01:07,166 to reporters and speak publicly in some cases. 18 00:01:07,166 --> 00:01:12,166 Most prominently, perhaps, Rose McGowan tweeted, describing, in her words, her rapist, and 19 00:01:13,566 --> 00:01:16,100 implying heavily that that was Harvey Weinstein. 20 00:01:16,100 --> 00:01:21,100 This was one of several factors that precipitated this rush to staff up with criminal defense 21 00:01:23,500 --> 00:01:27,400 attorneys and private investigation firms, and, as you just described, to engage in some 22 00:01:28,566 --> 00:01:30,600 pretty aggressive human intelligence tactics. 23 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:35,533 JUDY WOODRUFF: So, who -- what kind of folks work at these investigative agencies? 24 00:01:35,533 --> 00:01:37,600 What do they do? 25 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:41,366 RONAN FARROW: You know, those are an array of firms, and they would say that their work 26 00:01:41,366 --> 00:01:46,366 is very legitimate and that they do all sorts of open-source research for clients and consulting 27 00:01:47,333 --> 00:01:49,400 for clients. 28 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:53,333 But, certainly, in some cases, for Harvey Weinstein, these firms were either, A, compiling 29 00:01:55,333 --> 00:01:58,766 information that was specifically, according to the documents that we have, designed to 30 00:01:58,766 --> 00:02:03,766 undermine and smear people, both women with allegations and reporters, and in other cases 31 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:09,966 were actually engaging in hands-on human intelligence tactics, insinuating themselves into people's 32 00:02:11,033 --> 00:02:12,533 lives using false identities. 33 00:02:12,533 --> 00:02:14,333 JUDY WOODRUFF: Using false identities. 34 00:02:14,333 --> 00:02:17,566 And, specifically, what happened with Rose McGowan, the actor? 35 00:02:17,566 --> 00:02:22,566 RONAN FARROW: A woman calling herself Diana Filip of Reuben Capital Partners, a wealth 36 00:02:24,533 --> 00:02:28,733 management firm in London, reached out to McGowan through agents working with her, and 37 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,366 over the course of several months met with her repeatedly, offering to invest in her 38 00:02:33,366 --> 00:02:38,366 company and to enlist her in a women's rights campaign, and, over the course of those meetings, 39 00:02:40,300 --> 00:02:44,833 recorded secretly tens of hours of audio that were then relayed back to Weinstein in the 40 00:02:45,700 --> 00:02:48,100 form of transcripts. 41 00:02:48,100 --> 00:02:52,400 That same Diana Filip reached out to me, actually reached out to and successfully met with another 42 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,900 reporter, Ben Wallace of "New York Magazine," multiple times, posing as a woman with allegations. 43 00:02:58,900 --> 00:03:00,900 She used several identities. 44 00:03:00,900 --> 00:03:04,566 And the truth of the matter, Judy, is that she was an undercover operative working for 45 00:03:04,566 --> 00:03:07,033 this Israeli intelligence firm Black Cube. 46 00:03:07,033 --> 00:03:11,833 JUDY WOODRUFF: So, using a false identity, talking to you. 47 00:03:11,833 --> 00:03:13,966 What kinds of questions was she asking you? 48 00:03:13,966 --> 00:03:18,600 RONAN FARROW: Well, in my case, she reached out repeatedly, both through representatives 49 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:22,333 of mine and directly to me in e-mails, and I didn't respond. 50 00:03:22,333 --> 00:03:26,633 A representative of mine, a speaking agent that she got to, did speak to her and found 51 00:03:26,633 --> 00:03:31,633 it suspicious that she was demanding a meeting before discussing a supposed speaking engagement 52 00:03:32,833 --> 00:03:34,233 that she wanted to approach me about. 53 00:03:34,233 --> 00:03:36,300 And so it didn't go farther than that. 54 00:03:36,300 --> 00:03:39,700 But, as I said, you know, this was a tactic used on a number of reporters. 55 00:03:39,700 --> 00:03:44,700 And, in some cases, this resulted in meetings, with this woman, using a range of identities, 56 00:03:45,433 --> 00:03:47,500 posing as a source. 57 00:03:47,500 --> 00:03:51,333 JUDY WOODRUFF: You also point out -- and you referred to this a minute ago -- that Weinstein 58 00:03:53,333 --> 00:03:57,500 used -- tried to use and then did use his own attorney, David Boies of the law firm 59 00:03:59,033 --> 00:04:00,733 Boies, Schiller, Flexner. 60 00:04:00,733 --> 00:04:02,133 Boies is of course well-known. 61 00:04:02,133 --> 00:04:06,300 He represented Al Gore in the 2000 election. 62 00:04:06,300 --> 00:04:07,800 What happened there? 63 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:11,466 RONAN FARROW: David Boies is someone that I know well. 64 00:04:11,466 --> 00:04:12,933 He used to appear on my show. 65 00:04:12,933 --> 00:04:17,066 He's extremely well-regarded in many circles. 66 00:04:17,066 --> 00:04:22,066 And he personally signed contracts directing undercover operatives for Black Cube to kill 67 00:04:24,033 --> 00:04:28,300 a New York Times story about the Weinstein allegations and to obtain a manuscript of 68 00:04:30,166 --> 00:04:34,400 Rose McGowan's in-progress book, which they believed would contain rape allegations. 69 00:04:36,466 --> 00:04:40,733 And they were successful in sending to Weinstein numerous transcripts describing the contents 70 00:04:41,333 --> 00:04:42,566 of that book. 71 00:04:42,566 --> 00:04:44,633 Now, David Boies' role in this is interesting. 72 00:04:44,633 --> 00:04:48,633 And he has defended his actions in detail in the story. 73 00:04:48,633 --> 00:04:49,666 We quote him at length. 74 00:04:49,666 --> 00:04:51,933 I had many conversations with him. 75 00:04:51,933 --> 00:04:56,033 But it certainly raises questions, because his firm was representing The New York Times 76 00:04:56,033 --> 00:04:57,500 while this all happened. 77 00:04:57,500 --> 00:04:59,566 JUDY WOODRUFF: Right, which is another part of this. 78 00:04:59,566 --> 00:05:01,933 But I was just going to read part of the statement that David Boies put out today. 79 00:05:01,933 --> 00:05:06,433 He said: "Had I known at the time that this contract would have been used for the services 80 00:05:06,433 --> 00:05:11,433 that I now understand it was used for, I would never have signed it or been associated in 81 00:05:12,300 --> 00:05:14,300 any way with this effort." 82 00:05:14,300 --> 00:05:18,633 So, he's not denying that it happened, but he's saying he didn't know. 83 00:05:20,766 --> 00:05:24,433 RONAN FARROW: Look, he confirmed all of this in our conversations, which again are quoted 84 00:05:24,433 --> 00:05:26,333 on the record in the story. 85 00:05:26,333 --> 00:05:30,400 As well, you know, he also said he regretted it at the time. 86 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:34,800 He is now saying in a still more forceful way that he regrets it and even that he didn't 87 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:38,700 understand fully what services he was contracting for. 88 00:05:38,700 --> 00:05:43,366 But I will say, Judy, that the contract is extremely explicit, and it is one of several 89 00:05:43,366 --> 00:05:45,366 that either he or his firm signed. 90 00:05:45,366 --> 00:05:49,733 JUDY WOODRUFF: I want to ask you also about the fact that there were -- you name at least 91 00:05:49,733 --> 00:05:54,733 one journalist, a person you describe as a chef content officer at "The National Enquirer," 92 00:05:56,800 --> 00:05:59,866 who seemed to be working -- or helping Harvey Weinstein. 93 00:05:59,866 --> 00:06:04,766 RONAN FARROW: In that case, Dylan Howard, who is the editor in chief of "The National 94 00:06:04,766 --> 00:06:09,766 Enquirer" and works at the company that publishes "The National Enquirer," as you said, did 95 00:06:11,700 --> 00:06:14,433 exchange e-mails with Harvey Weinstein in which he appeared to be collaborating with 96 00:06:14,433 --> 00:06:19,433 Weinstein, generating lists of people to contact, and having several reporters working for him 97 00:06:21,300 --> 00:06:25,533 reach out to those women, secretly record the conversation with a woman in one case, 98 00:06:27,066 --> 00:06:29,900 and relay back to Weinstein information about those interviews. 99 00:06:29,900 --> 00:06:34,900 JUDY WOODRUFF: Ronan Farrow, are we -- where are we in this Harvey Weinstein reporting? 100 00:06:36,833 --> 00:06:40,166 Is it your sense, after spending a lot of time, months on this, that we now have a pretty 101 00:06:41,033 --> 00:06:42,700 full sense of what happened? 102 00:06:42,700 --> 00:06:46,866 RONAN FARROW: You know, Judy, I wish I could say that were the case. 103 00:06:48,866 --> 00:06:51,933 There is still much more to learn about the ways in which the powerful elites of this 104 00:06:53,933 --> 00:06:57,666 country manipulate the media and manipulate people coming forward with important allegations, 105 00:07:00,366 --> 00:07:05,033 the way in which the tools of the kinds described in this article can forestall the public dissemination 106 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:11,566 of allegations and also potentially in some cases criminal proceedings about them. 107 00:07:11,566 --> 00:07:16,566 We are seeing that only now are law enforcement agencies really picking up the baton, where 108 00:07:17,933 --> 00:07:20,466 it was dropped so often before in the Weinstein case. 109 00:07:20,466 --> 00:07:25,333 I think this is a much bigger issue than has even been unpacked so far, and that the reporting 110 00:07:26,533 --> 00:07:28,033 is going to continue to go on about this. 111 00:07:28,033 --> 00:07:30,400 JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, a lot of disturbing information here. 112 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:33,533 Ronan Farrow, writing for "The New Yorker" magazine, thank you very much. 113 00:07:33,533 --> 00:07:34,533 RONAN FARROW: Thank you, Judy. 114 00:07:34,533 --> 00:07:37,100 JUDY WOODRUFF: And a postscript. 115 00:07:37,100 --> 00:07:40,800 In the wake of the Weinstein stories, there have been a number of other accusations of 116 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,533 assault or harassment brought to light. 117 00:07:43,533 --> 00:07:48,533 At NPR, the head of news, Michael Oreskes, resigned after accusations of sexual harassment 118 00:07:49,700 --> 00:07:51,766 from a number of women. 119 00:07:51,766 --> 00:07:56,633 This evening, Jarl Mohn, the CEO of NPR, says that he is going on medical leave for a month. 120 00:07:58,666 --> 00:08:03,433 Mohn cites the fact that he suffers from hypertension at a dangerous level. 121 00:08:03,433 --> 00:08:07,733 In a letter to staff, he apologizes, saying that he could have handled the allegations 122 00:08:07,733 --> 00:08:11,500 against Oreskes -- quote -- "faster and more decisively."