Lisa Bloom Quits As Adviser to Hollywood Exec Harvey Weinstein

High–profile attorney Lisa Bloom, who has represented several women in sexual harassment cases against Bill O’Reilly, Bill Cosby, President Donald Trump, and other powerful men, has resigned as a legal adviser to disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

Bloom announced the decision Saturday via Twitter.

Bloom was strongly criticized for her role as Weinstein’s adviser after she issued an explanation in the wake of a troubling New York Times exposé published on Thursday. That report alleged that Weinstein has been sexually harassing women for decades.

In a statement posted on Twitter on Thursday, Bloom said:

As a women’s rights advocate, I have been blunt with Harvey and he has listened to me. I have told him that times have changed, it is 2017, and he needs to evolve to a higher standard. I have found Harvey to be refreshingly candid and receptive to my message. He has acknowledged mistakes he has made. He is reading books and going to therapy. He is an old dinosaur learning new ways…

Needless to say, that statement was not well–received. “There are many issues with this, starting with the fact that Lisa Bloom is not the first woman to ‘be blunt’ with Weinstein, or indicate to him that ‘times have changed,’” Jezebel’s Megan Reynolds wrote. Jezebel and other media also pointed out that Weinstein and Jay Z were producing one of Bloom’s books into a TV miniseries, as noted in this tweet last April:

Then, as people scrambled to distance themselves from Weinstein—particularly Democratic politicians—the scandal only continued to grow. On Friday, HuffPost’s Yashar Ali published claims by a former TV news anchor that Weinstein once trapped her in a restaurant hallway while he masturbated and then ejaculated into “a potted plant.”

This accusation is in addition to the Times report that Weinstein has settled at least eight sexual harassment claims against him.

According to Ali, Weinstein called the victim in this incident the next day and said he “had a great time last night.”

Who knows what finally convinced Bloom to quit. But perhaps the answer is in the last part of her Saturday tweet: “My understanding is that Mr. Weinstein and his board are moving toward an agreement.”

Whatever that means, I’m sure we’ll soon find out.