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Eric Schneiderman, Attorney General from New York, is leaving his office after he was accused of sexual violence by four women. This is a stunning fall for Schneiderman, a Democrat who was using the power of his office in order to punish those who were abusing their powers.

Accusations and Offenses

According to women who accused Schneiderman of sexual assault, he verbally threatened and assaulted them. He violently choked and slapped them during their sexual encounters. Some of them also reported that he can be described as a heavy drinker. The women stated that they didn’t give any consent to violent sexual encounters, and they describe that the abuse was happening on dates that were supposed to be romantic. Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam, two of the women who accused Schneiderman of sexual violence, both stated that the abuse was getting worse over time. Manning Barish said that she was in a relationship with Schneiderman from mid-2013 to late 2014. She also stated that the sexual abuse started a few weeks after she started dating Schneiderman, a former state senator.

Schneiderman Defends Himself

The sixty-three-year-old Attorney General has stated to the media that the women were always welcomed by his conduct, or that the women have not described it truthfully. He also stated that he, in fact, did engage in role-playing, but also other sexual activities, with full consent from the women. Schneiderman is claiming that he never assaulted anyone outside of consensual role play and that he would never engage in sexual activity without consent.

Resigning

Democrats from New York, including United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Governor Andrew Cuomo, wanted Schneiderman to resign amid the accusations, and he quickly did. Schneiderman stated that the serious allegations in the last several hours are going to prevent him from leading his office. He strongly disagrees with the allegations and thinks that they are not related to the operations of his office or his professional conduct.

Questions for the American People

1. How much of a public official’s personal life does the public need to know?
2. Does a sexual fetish, hobby, or other interest color how a person performs their job?
3. Why do some officials decide to fight accusations to stay in office while others quickly resign?