Lawyer fights for Weinstein, in court

New York: A powerful public figure is accused of sexual assault in a Manhattan hotel room. There’s media frenzy. Enter go- to defence attorney Ben Brafman.

Brafman, 69, was on the winning end of that scenario in 2011 when he helped former International Monetary Fund director Dominique StraussKahn beat an attempted rape charge.

Seven years later, Brafman has an even bigger challenge: defending Harvey Weinstein against sex crime charges. “I’m trying my best to save him in somewhat of an impossible situation he finds himself in,” Brafman said.

He said in the past year he’s gotten to know Weinstein as someone with “a forceful personality” who “soaks up all the oxygen in the room,” but steadfastly maintains his innocence.

In Brafman, Weinstein gets a tactical and pugnacious lawyer willing to fight for him inside court — and outside, too, in pressure- cooker conditions.

Manhattan district attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. — the same prosecutor handling the Weinstein case — ultimately dropped the charges, saying there were inconsistencies in the accuser’s story.

Brafman says he felt compelled to strike back against months of what he calls unfair press coverage fueled by leaks by authorities investigating the case.

He also claims Vance is under intense political pressure to get a conviction, further stacking the odds against Weinstein.