Harvey Weinstein’s defense lawyer said he could ‘take the abuse’

High-powered defense lawyer Benjamin Brafman claimed he could “take the abuse” from client Harvey Weinstein in an interview conducted before The Post revealed that the two men were on the verge of parting ways.

Esquire magazine on Tuesday pushed up the release of a 7,500-word profile of Brafman in the wake of The Post’s exclusive Monday report, which revealed that Brafman and Weinstein had a blowout argument because the disgraced movie mogul wanted to expand his defense team ahead of his hotly anticipated sex-assault trial.

“In light of these developments, we’re offering it online now,” Esquire said in an Editor’s Note.

The article quotes Brafman from a series of sit-downs last year, including one in which Brafman claimed he didn’t take it personally that Weinstein was seeking advice regarding his defense strategy from other lawyers and advisors.

“Harvey is the type of guy who gets a second opinion on his tuna salad,” Brafman said.

He also described Weinstein as “a nice guy, sometimes.”

“I can say to him, ‘You can’t tell me to go to hell, because you need me,’” Brafman said.

In what Esquire calls a “regrettable choice of phrasing,” he added: “I take the abuse better than most.”

Weinstein faces a May 6 trial over allegations he forcibly performed oral sex on production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raped a longtime lover in a Manhattan hotel in 2013.

Weinstein maintains his innocence.

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