USA TODAY International Edition
Scandal scratches another political career in New York
State attorney general accused of violent abuse
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman followed the trail of infamy taken by once-esteemed state politicians Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner as his resignation took effect Tuesday amid accusations of sexual misconduct.
The claims against Schneiderman, a champion of the Me Too movement, include violent abuse.
Hours before the scandal broke, Schneiderman tweeted Monday that he was leading eight attorneys general against EPA Secretary Scott Pruitt’s “absurd plan” to limit the use of science in making decisions on public health and the environment.
Later Monday, Schneiderman said he would resign Tuesday after The New
Yorker detailed allegations from four women who said he drank heavily, slapped, choked, degraded and threatened them. Schneiderman, 63, acknowledged engaging in role-playing “in the privacy of intimate relationships” but denied assaulting anyone or engaging in non-consensual sex.
“Serious allegations, which I strongly contest, have been made against me,” Schneiderman said. “While 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.”
On Twitter, Donald Trump Jr. retweeted one of his father’s tweets from 2013: “Weiner is gone, Spitzer is gone – next will be lightweight A.G. Eric Schneiderman. Is he a crook? Wait and see, worse than Spitzer or Weiner.”
Weiner, 53, was a seven-term Democratic congressman from New York City who resigned in 2011 after a lewd photo he sent to a woman from his Twitter account became public.
Last May, he pleaded guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor. He was sentenced to prison and must register as a sex offender.
Spitzer, 58, was a popular governor of New York when his career collapsed in 2008 amid a prostitution scandal. The
New York Times reported that a wiretap caught Spitzer arranging to pay thousands of dollars to Emperor’s Club VIP, an exclusive prostitution service.
Spitzer was not charged with a crime, but a political comeback fell short in 2013 when he lost the Democratic primary for the office of New York City comptroller. That same year, Weiner placed fifth in the Democratic primary for mayor.
The New Yorker noted that when it won its Pulitzer for coverage of sexual harassment, Schneiderman issued a congratulatory tweet, praising “the brave women and men who spoke up about the sexual harassment they had endured at the hands of powerful men.”
Authorities in New York will investigate Schneiderman, who was until Tuesday the state’s top law enforcement officer.
Kenneth Sherrill, political science professor emeritus at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center, said the violence alleged by Schneiderman’s accusers separate the claims from those against Spitzer and Weiner.
“I think violence is relatively rare,” he said. “Weiner never even met the women. No violence is alleged about Spitzer.”
“Serious allegations, which I strongly contest, have been made against me. While these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct ... they will effectively prevent me from leading the office’s work at this critical time.”
Eric Schneiderman