4 women accuse New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman of physical abuse

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) has been accused by four women of nonconsensual physical violence, with two telling The New Yorker the abuse took place while they were in romantic relationships with Schneiderman.

Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam both claim they were slapped and choked by Schneiderman, and while they did not report the abuse to police, they did receive medical attention. They also say he threatened to kill himself or them if they ever left him, and drinking was often involved when he became violent. A third woman, an attorney who asked not to be identified, told The New Yorker that after she stopped a romantic encounter with Schneiderman after he said offensive things, he slapped her so hard it left a mark on her face, then drove her home while intoxicated. The fourth woman told Manning Barish and Selvaratnam she was physically abused while in a relationship with Schneiderman, but was too afraid of him to go public.

As attorney general, Schneiderman has been a vocal proponent of women's rights, and he recently filed a civil rights lawsuit against the disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, accused by dozens of women of sexual misconduct and harassment. Selvaratnam said it makes her "feel sick" to see "a man who has staked his entire career, his personal narrative, on being a champion for women publicly. But he abuses them privately. He needs to be called out."

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Schneiderman told The New Yorker that in the "privacy of intimate relationships" he has "engaged in role-playing and other consensual sexual activity," but has "not assaulted anyone" or "engaged in nonconsensual sex." New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), an ally of Schneiderman's, called for his resignation. For more on the allegations, visit The New Yorker.