Sometimes in bed, she recalls, he would be “shaking me and grabbing my face” while demanding that she repeat such things as “I’m a little whore.” She says that he also told her, “If you ever left me, I’d kill you.” -The New Yorker
New York's Democratic Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman has been a prominent voice in the #MeToo movement - suing Harvey Weinstein in the wake of his sexual misconduct scandal and advocating for women's rights. Now, Schneiderman himself stands accused by four women of choking, hitting, and threatening them during brutal, alcohol-fueled sexual assaults.
Revealing the accusations are the New Yorker's Jane Mayer and Ronan Farrow - the latter of whom broke bombshell allegations last October by thirteen women involved in the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
Two of Schneiderman's accusers did not reveal their identities, while the other two, Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam, have come forward in full. All four accuse the New York Attorney General of heinous and abusive sexual assaults - along with threats, mental abuse, and stealing prescription medication.
All have been reluctant to speak out, fearing reprisal. But two of the women, Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam, have talked to The New Yorker on the record, because they feel that doing so could protect other women. They allege that he repeatedly hit them, often after drinking, frequently in bed and never with their consent. Manning Barish and Selvaratnam categorize the abuse he inflicted on them as “assault.” They did not report their allegations to the police at the time, but both say that they eventually sought medical attention after having been slapped hard across the ear and face, and also choked. Selvaratnam says that Schneiderman warned her he could have her followed and her phones tapped, and both say that he threatened to kill them if they broke up with him. (Schneiderman’s spokesperson said that he “never made any of these threats.”) -The New Yorker
One of the anonymous accusers says Schneiderman told Manning Barish and Selvaratnam that he "also repeatedly subjected her to nonconsensual physical violence," but was too afraid to come forward.
The fourth woman - a prominent New York attorney, says that Schneiderman slapped her across the face and left a mark after she rebuffed his advances.
She recalls screaming in surprise and pain, and beginning to cry, and says that she felt frightened. She has asked to remain unidentified, but shared a photograph of the injury with The New Yorker.
Schneiderman, in a statement said “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 nonconsensual sex, which is a line I would not cross.”
Michelle Manning Barish says her romantic involvement with Schneiderman spanned the summer...