Eric Schneiderman has been known as a Democratic champion of women’s rights, and he has been an outspoken member of the #MeToo movement. Schneiderman, 63, has used his status as the highest-ranking law-enforcement officer in New York State to take legal action against Harvey Weinstein, and demand greater compensation for the victims of Weinstein’s alleged sexual crimes.
But on Wednesday, Schneiderman announced that he was resigning as New York attorney general, after The New Yorker published an in-depth article, in which four women accuse Schneiderman of sexual misconduct. The women accuse him of having subjected them to nonconsensual physical violence. Two of the women, Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam, spoke to The New Yorker on the record. They allege that he repeatedly hit them, often after drinking, frequently in bed and never with their consent. Both say they eventually sought medical attention after having been slapped hard across the ear and face and also choked. Selvaratnam told The New Yorker that Schneiderman warned her he could have her followed and her phones tapped. Both women claim Schneiderman threatened to kill them if they broke up with him.
The two other women have also accused Schneiderman of physical abuse, and The New Yorker verified their accounts, though kept their identities anonymous.
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
