US Democrats have started to give charities thousands of dollars in donations they had received from disgraced Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein.

Mr Weinstein and his family have given more than $1.8 million in political contributions since the 1992 election cycle, virtually all of it to Democratic politicians, candidates and their allies, according to the non-partisan Centre for Responsive Politics.

The 65-year-old film executive indicated he would take a leave of absence from his company following New York Times reports he settled sexual harassment lawsuits with at least eight women.

Mr Weinstein’s contributions are tiny compared to those who donate tens of millions of dollars during a two-year election cycle, easily leaving him out of the top 100 funders, the centre’s figures show.

But he had been a fixture among Democratic supporters and close to party luminaries for decades, making the revelations especially embarrassing for a party that touts itself as pushing progressive policies for women.

The biggest beneficiary of funds from Mr Weinstein and his family was the Democratic National Committee, which received about $1 million in several of its accounts, according to the centre, which analyses political spending.

Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa said the party planned to give more than $38,000, the amount Mr Weinstein donated during the 2016 campaign, to groups which work to elect women to office.

Other major beneficiaries of the Weinstein family included almost $257,000 to the party’s Senate campaign accounts, around $30,000 to its House campaign arm senatorial, nearly $60,000 to Hillary Clinton and to HILLPAC, a committee Mrs Clinton used to support other Democrats while senator.

The figures include contributions attributed to Mr Weinstein, first wife Eve Chilton and current spouse Georgina Chapman.

Mr Weinstein and Ms Chapman also contributed nearly $13,000 to former president Barack Obama.

Mr Weinstein visited the White House during the Obama presidency and helped put on a film workshop in 2013, where then-first lady Michelle Obama described him as a “wonderful human being, a good friend and just a powerhouse”.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and potential 2020 presidential contender Elizabeth Warren were among those who donated the money given to them by Mr Weinstein.

“Returning this dirty money should be a no-brainer,” Republican Party Chair Ronna McDaniel said.

Republican National Committee spokeswoman Cassie Smedile said Democrats decided to “shirk the moral high ground and instead chose to launder the dirty Harvey Weinstein money to fellow Democratic political organisations”.

Demands to return campaign dollars are a staple of Washington politics practiced by both parties.

Republicans pressured Democratic candidates in 2011 to return donations from former representative Anthony Weiner, who had resigned when his lewd online behaviour became public.

Democrats did the same after former Republican speaker Dennis Hastert was sentenced to prison last year in a hush-money case that stemmed from decades-old sexual abuse during his years as a wrestling coach.

“The Democratic party condemns all forms of sexual harassment and assault,” Ms Hinojosa, the Democratic spokeswoman, said in a statement that also criticised “men like [Donald] Trump who continue to show us that they lack respect for more than half of America”.

-with wires