A raging Harvey Weinstein threatened the board of the world-famous AIDS charity amfAR last year because he believed a lawyer working for the organization was digging into his sex life, according to a document obtained by NBC News.
Minutes of an October 2016 amfAR board meeting, obtained Wednesday, include an update from board chairman and shoe designer Kenneth Cole about his dealings with the movie mogul.
The charity had retained an attorney, Tom Ajamie, to investigate a controversial deal Weinstein made with Cole over auction proceeds, and Weinstein was incensed that the information gathered went beyond finances.
“He called furious and said how dare you after 25 years, tens of millions I’ve raised, all I’ve done for amfAR, how dare you stick your lawyers on me to do what they’re doing,” the minutes, summarizing Cole’s comments, said.
Weinstein told Cole he had a letter that said Ajamie “was representing a famous nonprofit to investigate Harvey’s financial irregularities as well as his sex life,” according to the minutes.
“Harvey reiterated that it was inappropriate and slanderous and that he would personally investigate each person on the amfAR board and the committee,” the minutes said.
Cole confirmed to NBC that Weinstein was angry because he believed the board’s review of the auction proceeds had “turned into something far more.”
“In typical Weinstein fashion — he exploded with threats,” Cole said in an email to NBC News. “I don’t believe we understood what was really behind his anger at the time and I for one did not know of his predatory activities until they were revealed in media reports. We thought it was Weinstein with his typical angry, litigious response.”