Eric Schneiderman has stepped down as Attorney General for New York because of accusations leveled at him by four women that he physically assaulted them.

I met him barely one week ago at a AFL-CIO dinner where we both attended, and he spoke at as a surprise visitor. My dinner guest and the union president insisted on me meeting him, and walked me up to his table prior to his speaking.

Now out of the blue, he has resigned because of more of the "MeToo" movement. He denies the allegations, but Governor Cuomo asked him to resign in light of the gravity of them.

He was the lead sponsor of the strangulation law in New York, and some of the accusations are that he choked and slapped his victims. All of whom reportedly were in love with him at some time, until the relationships fell apart.

It's pretty shocking, given his high profile standing. And his being one of the front runners of leading state charges against the current POTUS and working in tandem with the Mueller investigation.

Things really move fast in New York. If this had been the MTC and a certain Joseph L. Bishop, presiding authorities would be saying "Nothing to see here."

I agree that is indeed shocking and find your "nothing to see here" comment comparison to be appropriate. If Eric Schneiderman were a Republican, we would probably get something similar from the current administration, e.g., "nothing to see here". However, the Democrats seem to be pretty silent on sexual abuse and harassment issues (unless I missed it) - so they share in the blame of not addressing this issue as a serious matter too. I'm glad to see the change brought about by the "Me Too" movement and hope that powerful men in government and the private sector will be held much more accountable for their inappropriate actions than they have been in the past.

He was leading an investigation and case against Harvey Weinstein before these allegations broke.

A prominent NY politician tweeted--in 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." That was not a "seer, prophet, a revelator." Sure took a long enough time for this to be made known. Kudos to the New Yorker. Note: The NY Slymes sat on the Weinstein story, but the New Yorker gave voice to Ronan Farrow (who is not the source of the tweet, above).

Ronan Farrow co-authored the New Yorker article that led to Schneiderman's ouster.

Not bad for Frank Sinatra's and Mia's little boy. He's got his dad's ole blue eyes, and Mia's smarts. :)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/07/2018 11:28PM by Amyjo.

So what colour does that make his eyes? :)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/07/2018 11:32PM by Nightingale.

You believe correctly.

No, his biological father is Frank Sinatra. He's Mia's and Frank's love child.

There is zero resemblance to Woody. He's the spitting image of Frank. Ronan was raised alongside of Frank's family as one of the clan, and Frank made sure he was well looked after.

Ronan calls Frank his father. Woody and Mia didn't have a DNA paternity test, so now he's fuming that she lied under oath to collect child support from him.

I know there are rumours about Sinatra but not sure if they have been laid to rest. The two men do resemble each other though. Hmmmm. Not sure if the dates work out...

I don't know much about Hollywood et al. The only reason I know about Ronan Farrow is through seeing him occasionally on the news about a story he has worked on. He seems to be a great journalist. I had noted he is also a fine looking man.

However, I am sorry to have created a tangent of something inconsequential on what is a deadly serious thread. I wasn't thinking, posted on impulse and realized later it's not a time to be flippant.

What I have to say about MeToo, specifically the need for such a cultural phenomenon in the making, is that I had little clue that the problem of sexual abuse in all its forms was so rampant in workplaces such as govt and entertainment. I know, big duh to me. I just didn't realize. I can identify with the women though. Among the often soul-destroying effects and results of being preyed upon by a man in power is the matter of feeling like you're the only one, and it's all your fault. I can in some small part identify with the mortifying situations and tough choices that many women face.

It's amazing when a sturdy house of cards suddenly tumbles. Who knows which ones will be found to be fatally flawed. Maybe we're at the point of no mercy. The fact of sexual predation being an open secret in many workplaces is appalling. If you're not in the businesses that are in the spotlight lately in this regard it's unlikely you would realize what's going on or the extent of it and all the covering up that has been done. I understand the decisions to go along to get along or to stay quiet about predatory behaviour but here's hoping its time has come to be uncovered and no longer suffered or tolerated.

Amyjo Wrote:
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> Ronan Farrow co-authored the New Yorker article
> that led to Schneiderman's ouster.
>
> Not bad for Frank Sinatra's and Mia's little boy.
> He's got his dad's ole blue eyes, and Mia's
> smarts. :)


We apparently need to make an emergency call to Maury Povich.

Most NY politicians are crooks. The state government is rotten right to the core.

but because of his own behavior with four different women. What difference does it make if they were in love with him at one time? They probably weren't so much, after being choked and slapped and threatened.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/07/2018 11:10PM by munchybotazv2.

He impressed them as a misogynist and a sadist more than he did a Romeo. Only two of his accusers are willing to be identified. The other two wish to remain anonymous out of fear of reprisal.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/07/2018 11:17PM by Amyjo.

This is the article from The New Yorker that caused Eric Schneiderman to resign this evening only three hours after it was published:

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/four-women-accuse-new-yorks-attorney-general-of-physical-abuse

If the women's accounts are true then he really is a Jekyll and Hyde character.

Oya vey.

Usually by resigning that alone says they are guilty. An innocent person would fight the accusations to clear their name and image.

Rubicon Wrote:
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> Usually by resigning that alone says they are
> guilty. An innocent person would fight the
> accusations to clear their name and image.

From what I read, he admits the activities, but says that all of the activities were consensual.

So he is not denying that he did these things, but is saying that he had each woman's prior permission.

What if he did have their prior permission?

What would be considered permission? What if someone decided later their permission was coerced?

good questions.

but after reading more, it sounds like he was out of control ---

This is true. But each of the women have said what he did to them and how he abused them was non-consensual. The hard slappings and choking came out of nowhere according to each of them. He demeaned, belittled them, was emotionally and verbally abusive. And controlling. At least two of them he threatened to kill if they should leave him. He made threats after they broke up not to go public with the allegations by insinuating he knew how to silence them. One of the women perceived he was making a death threat then also, in addition to those when they were a couple.

I wish one of Cuomo's sleazy cronies would take him with down with them.

These guys ran in the same circle of partisan cronies before his fall from attorney general.

The man's sick fetishes finally caught up with him. He probably has tortureporn on his computer.

These guys high level guys just can't have a normal relationship with their girl friends and wives. The Gov. probably knew this about Eric but until the public catches wind they say nothing and keep the secret.

Control.

The cat was out of the bag and keeping him in place compromises ongoing investigations and all kinds of reasons for defense lawyers to get a case thrown.

Be nice to see this guy get a lot of rejection letters for future work however, given his political ties he'll probably be just fine for future employment but I would hope it will be a tough 6 months for the scumbag.

The Manhattan DA is investigating him now. But given that they all belong to the same "good old boys club," good luck with that.

By the time any DA gets to his computer hard drive, he'll have smashed it with his mallet to destroy the evidence. No surprise raids on his home by the FBI.

His career just went into freefall. Wonder what he'll be doing next? Private law firm again, or who knows what? He's too young to retire.

And demeaned them with words and other abusive actions. That's according to those who say they were injured.

Eliot targeted prostitution houses while he was attorney general. Meanwhile he was paying high priced call girls to satisfy his fetishes outside of his home w/wife and three daughters.

When these guys fall they fall hard. They see themselves as above the law. Or in Schneiderman's case, he told one of his victims that he "was the law." (Not so unlike Joseph Smith.)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/2018 09:48AM by Amyjo.

Note my post above, that another prominent NY politician (I leave unnamed) tweeted about this back in 2013. Rumors "have been swirling about this for years."

NY Post front page: "Jekyl and Schneid" -- Cute! *

Regarding the issue of consent: I think it's usually as valid a defense as "somebody hacked my account" when somebody is caught with kiddie porn. Just because a woman has granted consent for activities "A,B,&C" does not mean the man is also entitled to activities "X,Y,&Z." My guess is that Schneiderman's "X,Y,&Z" was the violent stuff.


*The Post is known for great headers. One of their classics: "Headless Body in Topless Bar."

It was reported that Gov Cuomo and Schneiderman were barely speaking to each other before his resignation at Cuomo's urging.

AG Schneiderman was contemplating running for Cuomo's gubernatorial position is why. So they became rivals. Not anymore!

Not that we're likely to know for sure, but I wonder when Cuomo (& DiBlasi) knew. And, by extension, how many others in NY & NYC political leadership knew. We have learned that QUITE a few Hollywood leading light (women included!) knew about Weinstein, but kept their peace because, as one lady A-lister said, "Weinstein is god."

Double-irony: Among his remarks at the January 2017 Women's March in Washington: "If a woman does not have the right to control her own body, she is not truly equal. She is not truly free."

Not a fan of the democrats these days, but I don't believe everything I hear. Highly doubt any of it's true. Never know, could be a conspiracy against him, given his antagonism toward the POTUS.

I love a good conspiracy theory, but those are two very distant points to draw a line between.

The New Yorker is a responsible publication, AnonK. They would not risk their reputation by getting something like this wrong.

Could be 'payback?' Although the women who came forward were involved with him, and all of them Democrat, who supported Schneiderman's office. The exception was the fourth woman who is a high profile attorney who wishes anonymity. She was the only one who rebuffed his advances out of the four, and was hit so hard in the face by him it caused her to scream out in pain and to cry.

For the four who've come forward, there may be more who haven't. Similar to Bill Cosby, or Dr. Nassar.

Probably not a conspiracy theory to bring down a powerful pol who was leading a New York joint task investigation with the Mueller probe. Those investigations will continue without him as the apparatus is still in place. Schneiderman is/was a figure head more than he was a prosecutor.

It is theoretically possible, of course.

Now, let me eat my words, at least potentially. To shore up the conspiracy theory, one would note:

1) Schneiderman was much more than a figurehead. He had publicly indicated that he would prosecute Trump affiliates, whenever possible, on NY State charges, which would put them beyond the relief of a Presidential pardon.

2) As revealed in the Page-Strzok exchanges of texts and email, Schneiderman was an active ("off-site") participant in various DOJ-FBI "small group" planning sessions, which led to Muller's appointment. Thus, he was an avowed and active anti-Trumper.

3) Muller and Schneiderman are old buddies, going back a long way, especially when, as FBI director, he shifted the FBI's primary mission from crime fighting to terrorism. New York was already at the forefront of anti-terrorism.

So there's motivation for somebody in the Trump camp to have "taken out" Schneiderman, but I'm putting my chips on Farrow's dedication to the cause of ferreting out high-level predators.

While even if all that were true, the investigations and prosecution will continue because of the departments under Schneiderman's leadership that will continue their work in progress.

His replacement until the November election is his deputy attorney general, Barbara Underwood. They share the same vision and goals as team players on the same ticket.

The wild card will be who will win in November. If a Republican unseats the dems in power, then there will be a watershed and bloodletting when Schneiderman's political appointed attorneys will be replaced with GOP ones. The dems currently in their positions have been there since Spitzer. New York hasn't had a GOP AG since Dennis Vacco. When he was elected he axed all the dems political appointed lawyers without so much as a day's notice.

So right now the dems in Schneiderman's office are understandably shell shocked.

But the question was raised: was the exposure of Schneiderman some kind of political knee-capping? In spite of the three points I listed, above, I think not. Ronan Farrow has a cause, and this is just one more scalp for him.

If NY goes Republican, the change of Attorney General will be small potatoes relative to the larger political landscape. There's the possibility that NY remains mostly blue, but enough voters split their tickets and put a Republican in that office. Nothing I'd put my money on.

caffiend Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> But the question was raised: was the exposure of
> Schneiderman some kind of political knee-capping?
> In spite of the three points I listed, above, I
> think not. Ronan Farrow has a cause, and this is
> just one more scalp for him.

It was the four women who came forward that attributed they felt they could no longer be silent once they learned they weren't alone. And that their speaking out might protect some other/s from their misfortune. Collectively they were more courageous than alone.

>
> If NY goes Republican, the change of Attorney
> General will be small potatoes relative to the
> larger political landscape. There's the
> possibility that NY remains mostly blue, but
> enough voters split their tickets and put a
> Republican in that office. Nothing I'd put my
> money on.

It may be small potatoes in one sense, but not in the Mueller probe. That would be huge were a Republican to win in November because he or she will undo everything the current office is working on. It would stop whatever actions the current administration has been focused on regarding the president. And that would potentially be another miscarriage of justice were that to happen.

He was a very soft-spoken even a demure spoken politician. A passive-aggressive violent side to him wouldn't have seemed plausible just 48 hours ago.