Eric the Palm-Faced

Hours after the New Yorker, hardly a bastion of Trump-style conservatism, reported that one of Trump's greatest adversaries, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, was engaged in all sorts of forms of verbal and physical abuse against four former girlfriends, Schneiderman resigned in disgrace and humiliation.  Trump's minions are expressing their glee over Schneiderman's fall instead of engaging in the classy act of expressing sympathy or sorrow for the women involved because of the abuse committed against them.

And the abuse is brutal.  Schneiderman literally slapped them around, and tried to choke some of them in the process.  He even used racial epithets against one girlfriend, Tanya Selvaratnam, an author an actress of Sir Lankan descent. it seems he called her his slave.  Schneiderman professed his innocence in stepping down, saying that he was quitting so as not to distract the New York State Attorney General's office from the numerous cases it is pursuing - including a suit against the Federal Communications Commission for killing Net neutrality and protection of immigrants.  But get this - Schneiderman also handled a case against Harvey Weinstein and was a supporter of the Me Too movement.

Awkward!

Trump may have been handed is biggest gift yet, because there will now be a state of disarray as the the state of New York has no short-term direction in pursuing the many suits against Trump's administration - some of which would involve prosecuting's Trump aides under New York State law if Trump pardons them. The New York state legislature will select a new Attorney General by the end of the week to finish the remaining months of Schneiderman's term - unlike in New Jersey, where the state attorney general serves at the pleasure of the governor, New York chooses state attorneys general by popular election - but with the New York State Assembly under Democratic control and the New York State Senate under Republican control, a consensus candidate may not emerge so easily.  And whoever is chosen might end up being a lame duck.

And if Schneiderman's successor is someone who decides that he or she has no business going after Trump, states like New Jersey and California will lose a powerful ally in their own battles against the White House.

Even if Schneiderman's explanation of the charges were to be taken seriously, it's best that he quit.  He admitted that he was involved in questionable sexual behavior with his girlfriends (he's not married, having been divorced since 1996), but it was consensual sex in acts of role-playing.

Oh, my God, he's one of them!

As long as people like Schneiderman are allowed to serve in public office, the Democrats will remain the party of deviancy and hedonism in the eyes of Middle America.

The New Yorker article was co-written by Jane Mayer and - you guessed it - Ronan Farrow.