Jake Tapper: It's 'morally bankrupt' to be outraged over Harvey Weinstein but not Trump, and vice versa


On Tuesday, former President Barack Obama and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton joined the growing list of people announcing their disgust over Hollywood producer and Democratic donor Harvey Weinstein's decades of alleged sexual harassment. Republicans had been pressing Clinton for a response, but "we have counted at least 11 women who have accused President Trump of sexual harassment or sexual assault on the record," Jake Tapper said on CNN's The Lead. "These women deserve our attention, too, even as those close to the president try to suggest otherwise."
Tapper played a clip of RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel telling Wolf Blitzer on Monday that it was unfair and disrespectful to compare the Weinstein and Trump allegations because Trump "didn't have women coming forward." "Yeah, he did," Tapper said. "He had lots of women coming forward."
"Those who express outrage at one sexual harasser and not another because of the first harasser's political views?" he said. "That is morally bankrupt." Sean Hannity made a similar "cogent point" about selective moral outrage by Democrats, Tapper said, but Hannity "hosted sexual harasser Bill O'Reilly on his show two weeks ago. ... Look, this shouldn't be hard, and it shouldn't be partisan," he said. Whether it's Weinstein or Trump or Roger Ailes or Bill Cosby, "these allegations are worthy of reporting and outrage." Watch below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Laurence Leamer's 6 favorite books that took courage to write
Feature The author recommends works by George Orwell, Truman Capote and more
-
Today's political cartoons - May 7, 2025
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - film industry tariffs, self-deportation, and more
-
Weer at Soho Theatre Walthamstow: a 'silly, seductive, slapstick joy'
The Week Recommends Natalie Palamides' 'tear-inducingly funny' one-woman show opens London's newest venue
-
Hollywood confounded by Trump's film tariff idea
speed read President Trump proposed a '100% tariff' on movies 'produced in foreign lands'
-
Trump offers migrants $1,000 to 'self-deport'
speed read The Department of Homeland Security says undocumented immigrants can leave the US in a more 'dignified way'
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábrego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies
-
Canada's Liberals, Carney win national election
Speed Read The party of Prime Minister Mark Carney beat Conservative Pierre Poilievre thanks in part to Trump's trade war