Leah Remini and Mike Rinder have vocalized their support for Paul Haggis.
Amid claims that the celebrated filmmaker raped multiple women and acted sexually inappropriate with another, the cohosts for Scientology and the Aftermath shockingly chose to rally themselves behind the 64-year-old.
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On Monday, Remini and Rinder posted a letter to the latter’s blog, which read:
“Paul Haggis deserves, based on his record as a gentleman and humanitarian, to be judged when all the evidence has been taken under penalty of perjury in a court of law. Because claims of anonymous accusers who have NOT gone to law enforcement are not credible.”
Next to Leah, Haggis is easily one of the most notable Scientology defectors. After 35 years in the faith, Paul chose to leave Scientology in 2009. He then went on to speak out against the Tom Cruise-affiliated church in a profile for The New Yorker and in HBO‘s documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.
Unsurprisingly, Haggis contributed to Leah’s acclaimed A&E docuseries, as he appeared on the program’s second season. After one publicist came forward with a civil lawsuit and accused the Canadian born screenwriter of rape, three other women anonymously opened up about their own sexual misconduct experiences with the industry vet.
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Haggis denied the initial rape allegation and countersued the complainant, claiming the woman and her lawyer demanded $9 million from him. His attorney later weighed in on the additional allegations by stating:
“He didn’t rape anybody.”
Remini and Rinder acknowledged that it is bold of them to defend Haggis, but refuse to be deterred from their stance. They wrote:
“There is plenty of reason to worry about defending anyone accused of sexual assault in today’s climate. But the fear of consequences for speaking our truth has not held us back in the past and isn’t about to start now.We have supported victims of sexual abuse who have reached out to us and have worked with them and law enforcement to ensure justice is done for both victims and the accused. We have avoided trial by media.”
The duo went on to praise Paul’s humanitarian and activism work. Leah and Mike added:
“Like all of us, Paul Haggis is not perfect. Unlike a lot of us, he is truly a gentleman.”
The pair went on to suggest that the Church of Scientology likely has a hand in these damning accusations, despite the fact that the original alleged rape victim claims to have no association with the faith. Remini and Rinder concluded:
“We expect the next ‘revelations’ about Paul Haggis in this campaign to destroy him to be based on information culled from his scientology files in the form of more ‘anonymous’ accusers, hiding behind a lawyer who will never have to disclose who is paying their bill. Those who accuse without going to law enforcement, those who seek hush money to keep their stories secret, those who make accusations to the media anonymously ├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥ they are suspect. And when the target of these tactics is someone who is a prominent critic of scientology, it is very suspect.”
As Lena Dunham knows all too well, the public is going to have A LOT to say on this letter.
Man, oh man.
[Image via Nicky Nelson/Guillermo Proano/WENN.]
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