Jessica Mann opens up in court that she's cared of the disgraced movie mogul because of his powerful connections that included the former POTUS Bill Clinton.

• Feb 2, 2020

AceShowbiz - A former actress who accused Harvey Weinstein of rape was "intimidated" by his powerful connections after witnessing the producer take calls from former U.S. President Bill Clinton, a court has heard.

Jessica Mann took the witness stand in the fallen movie mogul's New York trial on Friday, January 31, 2020, and recounted the alleged sexual assaults she suffered at the hands of the disgraced 67 year old after first crossing paths in 2012.

She told the jury about multiple instances of manipulation, which reportedly included Weinstein forcing oral sex on her, and pressuring her to give him a massage during Los Angeles meetings which were supposed to be about acting opportunities, while she alleges he raped her at a hotel in Manhattan in 2013.

She also recalled Weinstein bragging about his ties to top businessmen and world leaders, including Clinton. "(Weinstein) loved to tell me that Bill Clinton was his neighbour," Mann said.

"He'd talk about all this money he'd raise for big organisations. He had a story for most anyone in the world you asked him (about) really, but the biggest one for me was Bill Clinton."

She claims the ex-Commander-in-Chief called Weinstein on a number of occasions, including during his wife Hillary Clinton's failed 2016 presidential campaign.

"The last two (calls) I saw were when (Weinstein) was raising money for Hillary Clinton," Mann told the jurors.

Explaining why she felt "intimidated" by the mogul, she shared, "When you're raising that much money and you're that powerful of a person, they're not going to want to deal with someone crying rape and ruining that."

During her testimony earlier on Friday, Mann had gone into graphic detail about Weinstein's out-of-shape body and genitals.

"The first time I saw him fully naked, I felt, I thought he was deformed and intersex," the Washington native confessed.

"He has extreme scarring that I didn't know if maybe he was a burn victim. He does not have testicles and it appears like he has a vagina," she added, as Weinstein reportedly bowed his head while seated at the defence table.

The disgraced producer stands accused of five felony counts of rape and sexual assault relating to incidents with Mann and production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2013 and 2006.

He has denied the allegations, insisting all sexual encounters were consensual.

Weinstein faces life behind bars if convicted.