David Copperfield voices support for #MeToo after accusation

LOS ANGELES — Magician David Copperfield has declared his support for the Me Too movement in a lengthy statement online in the wake of an allegation of sexual misconduct.

Copperfield says in a Twitter post Wednesday that he has been falsely accused in the past, and that even as he must “weather another storm, I want the movement to continue to flourish.”

The entertainment news site TheWrap.com published accounts this week from a woman who claims Copperfield drugged and assaulted her decades ago when she was a 17-year-old aspiring model.

Copperfield’s statement makes reference to a since-debunked allegation of sexual misconduct made against him by a different woman in 2007. She was later charged with prostitution and making false claims of sexual abuse by another man.

He says he initially did not want to draw attention to that previous case because “false accusers can negatively impact the believability of others and are a true disservice to those who have been victims of sexual misconduct.”

The 61-year-old Copperfield does not address the new accusations directly, but says in his statement to “always listen, and consider everything carefully, but please for everyone’s sake don’t rush to judgment.”