Sex scandals in N.Y.: Spitzer, Weiner and now Attorney General Eric Schneiderman

John Bacon | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption New York AG Eric Schneiderman resigns over assault allegations New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced his resignation after four women accused him of physical abuse. Schneiderman had taken on high-profile roles as a women's issues advocate and an opponent of Trump administration policies. (May 8)

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman follows the trail of infamy taken by once-esteemed state politicians Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner as his resignation takes effect Tuesday amid accusations of sexual misconduct.

The claims against Schneiderman, a champion of the Me Too movement and outspoken warrior against sexual harassment and abuse, include violent abuse.

The Democrat had drawn rave reviews from liberals for his clashes with the Trump administration. Hours before the scandal broke, Schneiderman tweeted Monday that he was leading eight attorneys general against EPA Secretary Scott Pruitt’s "absurd plan" to limit the use of science in making decisions on public health and the environment.

Later Monday, Schneiderman said he would resign Tuesday after The New Yorker detailed allegations from four women who said he drank heavily, slapped, choked, degraded and threatened them.

Schneiderman, 63, acknowledged engaging in role-playing "in the privacy of intimate relationships" but denied assaulting anyone or engaging in non-consensual sex.

"Serious allegations, which I strongly contest, have been made against me," Schneiderman said. "While these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office, they will effectively prevent me from leading the office’s work at this critical time."

More: Eric Schneiderman resigned amid violence accusations. Now what?

More: Schneiderman, #MeToo champion accused of violence, resigns

President Trump made no immediate mention of the resignation, but Donald Trump Jr. was all over it on Twitter. His tweets included a retweet of his father's tweet from 2013: "Weiner is gone, Spitzer is gone - next will be lightweight A.G. Eric Schneiderman. Is he a crook? Wait and see, worse than Spitzer or Weiner."

Schneiderman was outspoken in his criticism of Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced onetime giant of filmmaking accused by numerous women of sexual harassment and assault. In February, Schneiderman's office filed suit against Weinstein and The Weinstein Co. alleging sexual harassment and discrimination carried out by the movie mogul and his top lieutenants.

The New Yorker noted that when it won its Pulitzer 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.”

The fast, hard fall of the powerful is nothing new in New York. Weiner, 53, was a seven-term Democratic congressman from New York City who resigned in disgrace in 2011 after a lewd photo he sent to a woman from his Twitter account became public.

Weiner's issues continued, and he hit bottom last May when he pleaded guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor. He was sentenced to prison and must register as a sex offender.

Weiner, who had been sending sexual messages to a 15-year-old girl, wept as he apologized in court for his behavior.

"I have a sickness, but I do not have an excuse," he said.

Spitzer, 58, was a popular governor of New York when his career collapsed in 2008 amid a prostitution scandal. The New York Times reported that a wiretap caught Spitzer arranging to pay thousands of dollars to Emperor's Club VIP, an exclusive prostitution service.

Spitzer was not charged with a crime, but a political comeback fell short in 2013 when he lost the Democratic primary for the office of New York City comptroller. That same year, Weiner placed fifth in the Democratic primary for mayor.

Authorities in New York will investigate Schneiderman, who was until Tuesday the state's top law enforcement officer.

Kenneth Sherrill, political science professor emeritus at the City University of New York's Graduate Center, said the violence alleged by Schneiderman's accusers separate the claims from those against Spitzer and Weiner.

"I think violence is relatively rare," he said. "Weiner never even met the women. No violence is alleged about Spitzer."