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86 - 1ew <ork Attorney *eneral (ric 6chneiderman has resigned, following a report on allegations of assault by multiple women in The New Yorker.

³,t’s been my great honor and privilege to serve as Attorney *eneral for the people of the 6tate of 1ew <ork. ,n the last several hours, serious allegations, which , strongly contest, have been made against me,” 6chneiderman said in a statement. ³:hile these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office, they will effectively prevent me from leading the office’s work at this critical time. , therefore resign my office, effective at the close of business on May , 1 .” 6hortly after announcing his resignation, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said they had opened an investigation into the allegations against 6chneiderman, a spokesman told CNN. 6chneiderman’s swift resignation, which came Must hours after The New Yorker published its report, is a shocking fall from grace for a once rising star in Democratic politics. 6chneiderman had cast himself as a fierce opponent and critic of President Donald Trump. 6chneiderman has also been a vocal proponent of the

MeToo movement, bringing legal action in 1ew <ork against film producer Harvey :einstein, who has been accused of se[ually assaulting women. 1ew <ork *ov. Andrew Cuomo had called for 6chneiderman’s resignation earlier Monday.

³1o one is above the law, including 1ew <ork’s top le- gal officer,” Cuomo said in a statement. ³, will be asking an appropriate 1ew <ork District Attorney to commence an immediate investigation, and proceed as the facts merit.”

³My personal opinion is that, given the damning pattern of facts and corroboration laid out in the article, , do not believe it is possible for (ric 6chneiderman to continue to serve as Attorney *eneral, and for the good of the office, he should resign,” he added. 2n Monday, The 1ew <orker maga]ine reported the allegations of four women who accused 6chneiderman of physical violence against them. Two of the women, Michelle Manning %arish and Tanya 6elvaratnam, spoke on the record to the maga]ine, saying they had been romantically involved with 6chneiderman but that the violence was nonconsensual, and which The 1ew <orker described as occurring ³often after drinking, frequently in bed and never with their consent.” According to The 1ew <orker, Manning %arish and 6elvaratnam said he had hit and choked them, and that they later sought medical attention because of it. 6elvaratnam also alleged that 6chneiderman threatened to tap her phone, among other threats. %oth women alleged that the incidents often occurred after 6chneiderman had been drinking. ³, could not remain silent and encourage other women to be brave for me,” Manning %arish posted on )acebook. ³, could not leave my sisters who had been harmed hanging-discredited-when , knew the truth.” (CNN)