1 00:00:02,066 --> 00:00:04,700 JUDY WOODRUFF: There are many ways the MeToo movement began before the allegations about 2 00:00:04,700 --> 00:00:09,700 former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein were revealed in 2017, but there is no question 3 00:00:11,733 --> 00:00:15,933 that the Weinstein investigation was a milestone moment for what would become an international 4 00:00:16,533 --> 00:00:18,600 movement. 5 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:22,266 And, as Amna Nawaz tells us, Weinstein's conviction today on two felony sex counts is seen as 6 00:00:23,433 --> 00:00:24,733 another important milestone. 7 00:00:24,733 --> 00:00:26,633 AMNA NAWAZ: That's right, Judy. 8 00:00:26,633 --> 00:00:30,900 Six women testified during the trial that Weinstein assaulted them, but it was cases 9 00:00:30,900 --> 00:00:35,600 involving two of those women, Jessica Mann, a former actress, and Miriam Haleyi, a former 10 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,366 production assistant, that led to the convictions. 11 00:00:38,366 --> 00:00:42,666 Now, Weinstein was found guilty by a jury of seven men and five woman -- five women, 12 00:00:42,666 --> 00:00:46,866 rather -- on charges of rape in the third degree and criminal sexual assault. He was 13 00:00:46,866 --> 00:00:51,833 acquitted of the most serious charges, rape in the first degree and predatory sexual assault. 14 00:00:53,866 --> 00:00:55,966 Elizabeth Wagmeister was in the courtroom today. She has been there through the entire 15 00:00:55,966 --> 00:00:58,933 trial. She reports for "Variety." And she joins me now. 16 00:00:58,933 --> 00:01:01,033 Elizabeth, welcome to the "NewsHour." 17 00:01:01,033 --> 00:01:04,866 You were in that room. Everyone has been watching that courtroom from the outside. When the 18 00:01:04,866 --> 00:01:09,533 verdict was read, what was the reaction in the room, and specifically from Harvey Weinstein? 19 00:01:09,533 --> 00:01:14,533 ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, "Variety": It's interesting, because, after covering this since January 20 00:01:16,466 --> 00:01:19,933 6 -- it has obviously been a very long trial - - everyone that has been in that courtroom 21 00:01:19,933 --> 00:01:22,900 every day, we have just been waiting for this moment. 22 00:01:22,900 --> 00:01:27,266 And when the moment finally came, it almost seemed surreal. I'm telling you, there were 23 00:01:27,266 --> 00:01:32,266 no loud audible gases, there was no screaming. It felt like nobody in there was breathing 24 00:01:33,700 --> 00:01:35,700 when they were just waiting to hear what the verdict was. 25 00:01:35,700 --> 00:01:40,566 Now, I looked directly at Harvey Weinstein, as I had done throughout this entire trial, 26 00:01:42,666 --> 00:01:45,800 and his face looked just stone cold. It looked like there was no reaction really whatsoever. 27 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:51,533 But I have got to be honest, it was hard to see Harvey because he was surrounded by a 28 00:01:53,566 --> 00:01:56,633 swarm of court officers. Of course, every day, there are officers inside the courtroom, 29 00:01:58,700 --> 00:02:01,566 but the second that that bell rang and they said, the jury has reached a verdict, double 30 00:02:01,566 --> 00:02:04,466 the amount of officers that are usually in there came. 31 00:02:04,466 --> 00:02:09,100 And they surrounded Harvey. Now, he didn't do anything that would signal that he needed 32 00:02:09,100 --> 00:02:13,700 the court officers to be there, but, of course, it's typical that they do surround the defendant. 33 00:02:13,700 --> 00:02:15,833 And they certainly did today. 34 00:02:15,833 --> 00:02:18,400 AMNA NAWAZ: Now, as we mentioned, that he was found guilty on those two counts, right? 35 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:23,300 Those related to the cases involving two women whose testimony you heard in great detail, 36 00:02:23,300 --> 00:02:25,466 Jessica Mann and Miriam Haleyi. 37 00:02:25,466 --> 00:02:28,866 We haven't heard from jurors yet, so we don't know why they decided the way that they did. 38 00:02:28,866 --> 00:02:33,066 But from what you heard in the courtroom, what do you think was most compelling in their 39 00:02:33,066 --> 00:02:35,833 testimony that may have led to those guilty charges? 40 00:02:35,833 --> 00:02:40,166 ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER: You know, what is really interesting is, particularly with Jessica 41 00:02:40,166 --> 00:02:43,100 Mann, she had a grueling testimony. 42 00:02:43,100 --> 00:02:48,133 It took three days. She had to be taken off the stand numerous times because she was crying. 43 00:02:48,133 --> 00:02:52,066 At one point, we overheard her in the courtroom saying that she felt like she was having a 44 00:02:52,066 --> 00:02:54,033 panic attack. 45 00:02:54,033 --> 00:02:58,533 And there was a lot of conversation about how complex her testimony was. Would jurors 46 00:03:00,633 --> 00:03:03,633 believe her? Of course, the defense, they brought up a lot of evidence of phone records, 47 00:03:05,066 --> 00:03:07,800 texts, e-mails from these women, but particularly Jessica Mann. 48 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:12,566 She had about five years of communication with Harvey Weinstein. She admitted on the 49 00:03:12,566 --> 00:03:17,466 stand, she said, yes, part of this relationship was consensual, but it was complex, he was 50 00:03:17,466 --> 00:03:22,466 abusive, and that does not change that he raped me on the day in March 2013. 51 00:03:24,500 --> 00:03:29,133 So that was really the most surprising part of the jury's verdict, that they did decide 52 00:03:31,166 --> 00:03:34,266 to convict Harvey on rape in the third degree, which came from Jessica Mann. 53 00:03:34,266 --> 00:03:39,266 So I would imagine that something of her testimony was very compelling to them. Maybe, actually, 54 00:03:41,233 --> 00:03:43,933 what his defense was thinking would not be credible with her, the fact that it was so 55 00:03:43,933 --> 00:03:48,600 complex, that could have actually worked in her favor, that the jurors said, this is clearly 56 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:53,600 so complex, that there's something here. We believe this woman. She seems so credible, 57 00:03:54,766 --> 00:03:56,900 even though she almost seems uncredible. 58 00:03:56,900 --> 00:03:59,966 AMNA NAWAZ: Elizabeth, this is the thing everyone is wondering, we may not know in this moment, 59 00:03:59,966 --> 00:04:02,666 but it is what this moment now means. 60 00:04:02,666 --> 00:04:06,966 You were in there every day watching the testimony, hearing what people had to say, hearing the 61 00:04:06,966 --> 00:04:09,066 defense attorneys. 62 00:04:09,066 --> 00:04:12,900 Do you think you can say, OK, this is the significance of this verdict right now? What's 63 00:04:12,900 --> 00:04:14,933 your biggest takeaway from the trial? 64 00:04:14,933 --> 00:04:19,933 ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER: I think the biggest takeaway is that Harvey certainly is in was 65 00:04:21,966 --> 00:04:25,733 emblematic of a big, powerful figure, certainly in Hollywood, but, also, this stretches across 66 00:04:26,766 --> 00:04:28,833 to numerous different industries. 67 00:04:28,833 --> 00:04:33,500 Now, this is something that his defense brought up from day one, in their way of saying, this 68 00:04:35,466 --> 00:04:39,133 is why this trial isn't fair. He is Harvey Weinstein. He's been the poster boy, basically, 69 00:04:41,033 --> 00:04:43,366 of a whole movement. That's why this isn't fair, and that's why he should be found not 70 00:04:43,366 --> 00:04:45,500 guilty. 71 00:04:45,500 --> 00:04:48,200 Now, clearly, that's not what the jury came to. But I think that's the big takeaway. That 72 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:52,133 is the significance, that, for all of these years, certainly in Hollywood, which is the 73 00:04:52,133 --> 00:04:57,133 industry that I cover, that Harvey Weinstein has been seen as a big, powerful figure that 74 00:04:58,633 --> 00:05:01,666 could never, ever be taken down, so to speak. 75 00:05:01,666 --> 00:05:06,666 And now that has shown that, in a court of law, that women can be heard. These are allegations. 76 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:11,600 Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but, today, we saw he was found guilty on 77 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:14,066 two different charges. 78 00:05:14,066 --> 00:05:16,433 AMNA NAWAZ: That's Elizabeth Wagmeister, reports from "Variety," joining us from New York tonight. 79 00:05:16,433 --> 00:05:16,966 Thank you.