New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a statement Monday night in response to an explosive report that he had been accused by four women of physically abusing them. "I have never engaged in non-consensual sex, which is a line I would not cross," he said through an outside spokesman. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a statement in light of "the damning pattern of facts and corroboration" in the article and urged Schneiderman to resign.
The statement comes in response to a story in The New Yorker which includes two women speaking on the record. The women "accuse Schneiderman of having subjected them to nonconsensual physical violence. All have been reluctant to speak out, fearing reprisal. But two of the women, Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam, have talked to The New Yorker on the record, because they feel that doing so could protect other women."
Schneiderman said Monday night that he has "engaged in role-playing and other consensual activity" but that he has "not assaulted anyone."
The New Yorker reports that Schneiderman "repeatedly hit them, often after drinking, frequently in bed and never with their consent," according to the women.
The report says the women didn't come forward with their allegations at the time, but that Barish and Selvaratnam sought medical attention for what they categorize as "assault." They describe being slapped hard across the ear and face and choked.
Selvaratnam issued a statement through a spokesperson Monday night in response to the report to reiterate the abuse was not consensual.
Full story at CBSNews.com.