‘The View’ Audience Erupts After Whoopi Goldberg Announces Harvey Weinstein Guilty Verdict Live

The View audience erupted in a round of applause Monday as moderator Whoopi Goldberg announced the breaking guilty verdict in the New York rape trial of Harvey Weinstein, a disgraced Hollywood producer found guilty of criminal sexual assault and of rape in the third degree.

Weinstein was not found guilty of the more serious charges of predatory sexual assault and of rape in the first degree.

The criminal sexual assault conviction stemmed from his assault of Miriam “Mimi” Haleyi, a former production assistant who testified that he assaulted her in 2006, while the charge of rape in the third degree came from another, unnamed accuser. For the first charge of which he was found guilty, Weinstein faces between 5 and 25 years in prison, and for the second charge, he faces up to 4 years of probation.

Cy Vance, Manhattan district attorney, said the women who testified against Weinstein “pulled our justice system into the 21st century,” as per ABC News.

“Rape is rape whether it’s committed by a stranger in a dark alley or a domestic partner in a working relationship,” Vance said.

The Silence Breakers, a grouping of people who have accused Weinstein of sexual assault, said in a statement to ABC News Monday, “While it is disappointing that today’s outcome does not deliver the true, full justice that so many women deserve, Harvey Weinstein will now forever be known as a convicted serial predator. This conviction would not be possible without the testimony of the courageous women and the many women who have spoken out.”

The Me Too movement also weighed in on the historic case in a statement, saying, “We would do well to ask ourselves how many of these women’s names we can actually remember, beyond the boldface few? Certainly, Harvey’s name will be seared in our collective memories, but many of the survivors will be quietly taking stock of the impact.”

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