Hillary Clinton

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has broken her silence over the sex scandal to engulf Harvey Weinstein.

In a statement issued on Tuesday that did not address the tens of thousands of dollars Weinstein is understood to have contributed to the Clintons for decades, Clinton said: “I was shocked and appalled by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein.

“The behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated. Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior.”

Weinstein is a longtime donor to the Democratic Party and has supported Clinton’s career, hosting fundraisers for her ultimately ill-fated 2016 presidential campaign.

Last week Democrats including Senate minority leader Charles Schumer said they would give the donations to groups working with victims of sexual abuse.