NY State AG Schneiderman Resigns After Abuse Allegations

New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced he is leaving office hours after it was reported he had been accused of assaulting multiple women.

Schneiderman, a Democrat, late Monday night issued a statement conceding the "serious allegations" would "effectively prevent me from leading the office's work at this critical time."

The attorney general concluded: "I therefore resign my office, effective at the close of business on May 8, 2018."

In the statement, Schneiderman "strongly" contested the allegations which were contained in the story posted online early Monday evening by The New Yorker.

The women cited in the report recounted violent incidents involving Schneiderman. Two of the accusers spoke on the record.

Schneiderman's initial statement following the publication of the story suggested he believed he could weather the allegations.

The 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 non-consensual sex, which is a line I would not cross."

But calls for the attorney general's resignation came quickly from elected officials, including Governor Andrew Cuomo.

In recent months, Schneiderman had been highly critical of prominent men who had been accused of abusing women.