Anti-gun Democrat New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman quickly resigned Monday following the publication of an explosive story in the New Yorker focusing on allegations that he assaulted four women.
The resignation came just three weeks after Schneiderman issued a press release touting a gun “buyback” project in White Plains in which he asserted, “Gun violence is one of the biggest public health crises we face.” That effort brought in some 120 firearms.
Yet, according to the National Review, Schneiderman’s ex-girlfriend asserted that, in private, the now-former attorney general called gun control activists “losers.”
In 2013, Schneiderman launched a New York gun “buyback” – a misnomer, since the government never owned those guns in the first place – that has so far brought in nearly 1,700 firearms, the National Review noted. However, there has been some research that indicates such programs have little real impact on violent crime.
At the time of that launch, Schneiderman also issued a press release, a habit at which he was prolific, in which he stated, “These buybacks mean less guns in our homes and on our streets – part of our broader efforts to keep New Yorkers safe from gun violence.”
Fox News reported Monday that the Manhattan District Attorney’s office is “opening a probe” into the allegations of physical violence against four women with whom he had apparently been “romantically involved.”
As reported by the New Yorker, Schneiderman “has long been a liberal Democratic champion of women’s rights, and recently he has become an outspoken figure in the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment.” He reportedly took legal action against disgraced Hollywood film mogul Harvey Weinstein following allegations of predatory sexual behavior.
“Last month, when the Times and this magazine were awarded a joint Pulitzer Prize for coverage of sexual harassment, Schneiderman issued a congratulatory tweet, praising ‘the brave women and men who spoke up about the sexual harassment they had endured at the hands of powerful men.’ Without these women, he noted, ‘there would not be the critical national reckoning under way.’”—The New Yorker
Schneiderman became attorney general eight years ago, and has used assorted cases – and press releases – to raise his political profile.
In 2011, Schneiderman announced the results of a gun show undercover sting called “Operation Background Bust” in which ten people were charged for not conducting background checks at gun shows, per state law. That effort was praised by then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire who is now using his fortune to support gun prohibition lobbying efforts and political action across several states.
