Goldberg clarifies Polanski comments

Hollywood actress Whoopi Goldberg has spoken out to explain her controversial comments about Roman Polanski’s recent arrest.

Whoopi Goldberg has spoken out to clarify her comments about Roman Polanski’s recent arrest. During a debate on Whoopi’s show The View the actress caused controversy when she said Polanski was not guilty of "rape-rape". But on her return to the programme, Goldberg explained her comments. "I'm going to be very clear. I was trying to make sure we had our facts straight because that's my job - particularly about what he was arrested for and what he was charged with," Whoopi explained. "Here is what it was once and for all. He was originally indicted on six felony charges. Furnishing controlled substances to a minor, perversion, sodomy, committing a lewd and lascivious act upon a child under 14, engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor - and rape by use of drugs. All of these charges were dismissed, except for the one he pled guilty to. It's the lesser charge of engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, not rape, which was my point. So just to make sure that everybody understands, on this show, people listen to what we say and I was wanting to make sure that we were putting out the correct information. That was what I was trying to do the other day."

Meanwhile, the French government have said Polanski "is neither above nor beneath the law" and retracted their original public statement of support. Earlier this week, French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner publicly called for Polanski - currently being held in Switzerland on a US arrest warrant - to be freed. However, government spokesman Luc Chatel has confirmed the support has now been withdrawn. "We have a judicial procedure underway,” he told the BBC. “For a serious affair, the rape of a minor, on which the American and Swiss legal systems are doing their job."

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