Matt Damon responded on Tuesday to claims that Harvey Weinstein asked him to help kill a New York Times story about Weinstein’s history of sexual harassment that was allegedly in the works more than a decade before the bombshell reports published over the past few days.
The Wrap founder Sharon Waxman alleged while she was reporting for the New York Times in 2004, Weinstein requested Damon call her to speak positively about producer Fabrizio Lombardo, who was thought to be involved in setting Weinstein up with women.
In an interview with Deadline on Tuesday, Damon said he was unaware of what Waxman’s story was about when he called. “For the record, I would never, ever, ever try to kill a story like that,” Damon told Deadline. “I just wouldn’t do that. It’s not something I would do, for anybody.”
Waxman has since endorsed Damon’s statement. “He called me briefly, wasn’t informed — nor [should] he have been — [about] investigative aspect of piece,” she wrote on Twitter.
I endorse Matt Damon's statement. He called me briefly,wasn't informed – nor shld he have been – abt investigative aspect of piece. @thewrap
https://t.co/kTbOdYY7C8
— Sharon Waxman (@sharonwaxman) October 10, 2017
This comes after the Times dismissed Waxman’s claims that the paper spiked her story because of pressure from Weinstein. “Sharon has now had more than a decade to pursue this story unencumbered by me or any New York Times editor,” Jonathan Landman, a former Times editor, told Politico. “Why, if she had the goods on Weinstein in 2004, has she been unable or unwilling to publish something in the Wrap, where she was in charge? Could it be because she didn’t actually have the goods then, now or in between?”
Gabby Giffords and Steve Scalise.