New York AG resigns over womens assault claims

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has resigned his position, following a report on allegations of abuse by multiple women in The New Yorker.

Schneiderman has been a vocal proponent of the #MeToo movement, bringing legal action in New York against film producer Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of sexually assaulting women.

Schneiderman, who has also cast himself as a prominent opponent to President Donald Trump, on Monday issued a statement saying:

“It’s been my great honor and privilege to serve as Attorney General for the people of the State of New York. 

“In the last several hours, serious allegations, which I strongly contest, have been made against me,” Schneiderman said in a statement. 

“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. 

“I therefore resign my office, effective at the close of business on May 8, 2018.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had called for Schneiderman’s resignation earlier Monday.

“No one is above the law, including New York’s top legal officer,” Cuomo said in a statement. 

“I will be asking an appropriate New York District Attorney to commence an immediate investigation, and proceed as the facts merit.”

“My personal opinion is that, given the damning pattern of facts and corroboration laid out in the article, I do not believe it is possible for Eric Schneiderman to continue to serve as Attorney General, and for the good of the office, he should resign,” he added.

On Monday, The New Yorker magazine reported the allegations of four women who accused Schneiderman of physical violence against them.

Two of the women, Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam, spoke on the record to the magazine, saying they had been romantically involved with Schneiderman but that the violence was nonconsensual.

The New Yorker described the violence as occurring “often after drinking, frequently in bed and never with their consent.”

According to The New Yorker, Barish and Selvaratnam said he had hit and choked them, and that they later sought medical attention because of it. 

Selvaratnam also alleged that Schneiderman threatened to tap her phone, among other threats.

Both women alleged that the incidents often occurred after Schneiderman had been drinking.

Schneiderman, a Democrat, tweeted a statement on Monday evening, writing that nonconsensual sex “is a line I would not cross.”

“In the privacy of intimate relationships, I have engaged in role-playing and other consensual sexual activity. 

“I have not assaulted anyone. I have never engaged in non-consensual sex, which is a line I would not cross,” the tweet reads.

CNN reached out to Schneiderman, who is not married, for comment and was given a copy of a tweet.