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Rosanna Arquette brands Asia Argento sexual assault allegations 'a set up'

Rosanna Arquette (Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni)
Rosanna Arquette (Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni)

Rosanna Arquette has called the sexual assault allegations that have emerged against actress Asia Argento ‘a set up’.

She’s also implied that disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, who Argento claims raped her, is behind it all.

The Pulp Fiction star took to Twitter to proclaim ‘the monster is at it again’, referring to Weinstein.

It emerged that Argento had made a $380,000 settlement with actor Jimmy Bennett, who met the actress when he was seven-years-old, playing her son in the movie The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things.

The New York Times reported that Argento had settled with Bennett after claims that she sexually assaulted him in a hotel bedroom in California when he was 17, legally underage in the US state, and Argento was 37.

Asia Argento (Credit: Getty)
Asia Argento (Credit: Getty)

But Arquette, who also says she was sexually harassed by Weinstein in the 1990s, has called the settlement ‘extortion’.

“I know many many rape and trauma survivors who act out sexually The wounds they carry run deep. I pray for them. the timing of this story is suspect. Asia was still raped by Harvey Weinstein,” she tweeted.

“None of us know the truth of the situation and I’m sure more will be revealed. Be gentle.

“Stop until you hear all the facts this is a set up. Extortion is a problem.”

Since the allegations against Argento emerged, Weinstein’s lawyers have slammed the actress.

“This development reveals a stunning level of hypocrisy by Asia Argento, one of the most vocal catalysts who sought to destroy Harvey Weinstein,” said his representative Ben Brafman.

“What is perhaps most egregious, is the timing, which suggests that at the very same time Argento was working on her own secret settlement for the alleged sexual abuse of a minor, she was positioning herself at the forefront of those condemning Mr. Weinstein, despite the fact that her sexual relationship with Mr. Weinstein was between two consenting adults which lasted for more than four years.

“The sheer duplicity of her conduct is quite extraordinary and should demonstrate to everyone how poorly the allegations against Mr. Weinstein were actually vetted and accordingly, cause all of us to pause and allow due process to prevail, not condemnation by fundamental dishonesty.”

Tarana Burke, who founded the #MeToo movement, which has become a phenomenon since the Weinstein allegations, said that the claims facing Argento should not be used to discredit the campaign to expose sexual abuse.

“This movement is making space for possibility,” Burke tweeted. “But, it can only happen after we crack open the whole can of worms and get really comfortable with the uncomfortable reality that there is no one way to be a perpetrator … and there is no model survivor.

“We are imperfectly human and we all have to be accountable for our individual behavior. People will use these recent news stories to try and discredit this movement – don’t let that happen.”

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