Note: This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence.

In the trial of Harvey Weinstein, six women have taken the stand, each making similar accusations of rape and sexual assault against the movie producer. Throughout their testimony, Weinstein’s defense lawyers have portrayed those encounters as consensual and suggested that in many cases it was the women who wanted something from Mr. Weinstein. His lawyers have seized on the fact that the two women whose accounts are at the center of the criminal charges in his New York trial agreed to have sex and friendly contact with Mr. Weinstein after they were allegedly victimized. Today, one of The Times reporters who broke the story of Mr. Weinstein’s alleged abuse more than two years ago speaks with Donna Rotunno, the lawyer behind Mr. Weinstein’s legal strategy.

Guests: Megan Twohey, an investigative reporter for The Times and co-author of “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement," spoke with Donna Rotunno, Harvey Weinstein’s lead defense lawyer. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Background reading:

Long before an avalanche of allegations against Mr. Weinstein set off a global reckoning over sexual harassment, Ms. Rotunno was steadily building a career as a criminal lawyer in Chicago with an unusual specialty: defending men accused of sex crimes.
Haven’t been following the trial? Here’s what’s happened so far.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Suzana Herculano-Houzel

The AI-powered Podcast Player