New York’s Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has resigned from office, following allegations in the New Yorker that he was physically violent toward four women who have come forward with their stories.
In a statement, Schneiderman, 63, says he “strongly contest's the allegations, which he says have nothing to do with his professional life, but he says the charges will “will effectively prevent (him) from leading the office’s work at this critical time”.
The New Yorker documented the former Attorney General’s encounters with the four women, who say Schneiderman repeatedly hit them, and in on case choked them, after he had been drinking, and that two of the women had to seek medical attention. One says the former attorney general threatened to kill her if she broke up with him.
Schneiderman has long been a supporter of women’s rights, and he spoke out frequently against other allegations of sexual assault in recent months, and the #metoo movement exploded. The Attorney General was suing the disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein.
Schneiderman was first elected in 2010, and was seeking a third term as attorney general. He previously served in the state senate representing a district in Manhattan where he lives.
A successor has not yet been named.
