New York attorney general bids to become Trump’s No. 1 enemy
ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman speaks during a news conference in New York. Schneiderman, already a champion of New York’s liberal elite, is emerging as a major player in the broader Trump resistance.
NEW YORK >> More than most, Eric Schneiderman understands the risks of taking on Donald Trump.
New York’s attorney general was a target of Trump’s Twitter feed years before the president’s assaults on “Little Marco” Rubio or “Lyin’ Ted” Cruz.
He was once depicted as a deranged Clockwork Orange character on the cover of a newspaper owned by Trump’s son-in-law. And he faced intense anti-Semitic attacks from Trump loyalists on social media that continue even today.
“It’s really vile stuff. It’s a picture of your face going into a gas chamber, your face on a lampshade,” Schneiderman told The Associated Press, acknowledging a new rash of anti-Semitism in recent weeks as he fought the new president’s travel ban.
Even Schneiderman’s daughter was targeted in one social media post.
“If there’s something that they take seriously as a threat, they tell me. I don’t pay attention to it,” Schneiderman said. He later added, “I have a responsibility to fight.”
Indeed, this 62-year-old Democrat with little national profile is maneuvering to be a key player in the broader Trump resistance. Backed by one of the nation’s largest public law firms, he is positioned to challenge Trump’s agenda in ways his Democratic allies in Washington cannot — even as critics question whether he has the fortitude to effectively challenge the brash billionaire’s aggressive agenda.
Trump called Schneiderman a “lightweight” on Twitter in 2013, when the attorney general was investigating Trump University.
Schneiderman is quick to point out he has already beaten Trump.
The ambitious attorney led a lawsuit against Trump University alleging fraud, ultimately helping to secure a $25 million settlement after the election. Trump had vowed never to settle.
Schneiderman also investigated Trump’s family foundation, and he played a role recently in organizing legal opposition by Democratic attorneys general to Trump’s travel ban.
“Eric, who leads a very large public law firm, he brings significant resources to bear,” said Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
But others note he has struggled to build the same national profile as recent New York attorneys general like Eliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo, both hard-charging Democrats who took on Wall Street and eventually became governor.
Schneiderman insists he’s planning to run for re-election in 2018, dismissing speculation he may run challenge Cuomo instead. He has more than $6 million in his campaign account, a haul dwarfed by Cuomo’s $22 million.
In the meantime, Schneiderman and his legal team of nearly 700 attorneys are focused on the Republican president. Targeting the new administration is also good politics in a state Trump lost by 22 percentage points.
“All these things Trump is trying to do are very unpopular in the state of New York,” New York Democratic consultant Bruce Gyory said.
Beyond immigration, Schneiderman’s team is preparing to challenge the White House on the environment, civil rights, women’s health care, labor rules and consumer protection, among other issues.
Schneiderman said it’s nothing personal.
“No matter how rich or powerful you are, if you’re hurting people of the state of New York, we will go after you,” he said. “I’m concerned about real harm to real people.”
The New York City native’s path to politics began in a Washington, D.C., abortion clinic more than four decades ago.
At age 17, he said, he helped transport women from the airport to the clinic in one of the few cities where abortion was legal in the early 1970s.
He was drawn to public service years later while working pro bono cases for his corporate law firm. He won a state Senate seat representing a Manhattan district in 1998, becoming attorney general in 2010.
In style perhaps more than substance, the silver-haired Schneiderman doesn’t match the profile of some of New York’s more street-hardened politicians. He loves yoga, jazz and history. He still lives in the neighborhood in Manhattan’s Upper West Side where he grew up as the only child of an attorney father who would become a prominent city philanthropist.
The profile may limit his appeal in blue-collar America, but he was celebrated by New York City’s tech community during a recent reception in the posh Hotel Jane. At an event catered by a company that hires only refugees, Schneiderman reminded the packed hotel lounge that New York has been a city of immigrants dating to the 1600s.
Trump’s immigration order, he told the fresh-faced tech executives, would “shut down this flow of ideas and energy and human spirit that is so vibrant in our city. To me that’s not just unconstitutional, which it is, it’s un-American.”
After the remarks, some in the audience said they didn’t know enough about Schneiderman to comment on his political standing. But Ed Zimmerman, who leads a tech group at a local law firm, praised the attorney general for taking on the president despite the risks.
“He’s Trump’s No. 1 enemy,” Zimmerman said.
35 responses to “New York attorney general bids to become Trump’s No. 1 enemy”
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so what Schneiderman you can have a thousand lawyers will even give you Klastri it does not matter, your other issues you can become a sanctuary state and then trump won’t give you federal aid for being a sanctuary state and watch the people turn on you and your 1000 lawyers and Klastri because no money coming in to your state and you will suffer thanks to you.
64hoo, This should give you a good laugh:
http://leftexposed.org/2016/10/new-yorks-chief-partisan-persecutor-democrat-attorney-general-eric-schneiderman/
it did I brought out my box of Kleenex tissues.
64hoo – Trump cannot withhold federal funding like you wrote. You really need to read more.
Here you go in case you didn’t read article…”The Clinton Foundation is located on Avenue of the Americas in New York City – the heart of AG Schneiderman’s purview. It is amulti-multi-million-dollar den of corruption. Time after time billion dollar promises have been made – but never kept. In2013, only 10% of the money the Foundation spent went to, you know, actual charity. They spent more on office supplies. And, of course, rent – palatial offices on Avenue of the Americas ain’t cheap.”
Luv the fake news…
Someone has to be a check point for this out of control president.
Thankfully, we still have the Constitution and the Judiciary. That should keep Trump in his sandbox. The Republicans in congress, with a few exceptions like John McCain, are kissing Trump’s ring to have power. It’s disgusting.
I doubt if the Donald will make it past Christmas. The guy is a clown who has no clue what it takes to be president. Being a clown is not it.
I’m pretty sure Boots said Clinton would win the election too.
President Trump doing a great job. Eight more years of progress. As I recall there are three branches of government. Peaceful protests by sore losers will slowly fade away as the snowflakes melt.
bumbai – You bring that up over and over again. So what? So did most people.
Being able to predict an election is not the same as being able to think critically. The fact that you don’t understand that is not a particular surprise.
Oh … one more thing … Mrs. Clinton received about 3 million more votes than Trump did.
klastri Clinton won the popular vote in California by almost 3 million, trump won the other 49 states 57 million to her 54 million so who cares about California those popular votes mean nothing.
Keep on talking Sargento….you may be gloating now that he won the election, but its allll crumbling faster than he got there and as far as “8 more years”; your lucky if he gets 8 more months!!!
He starting his 2020 Pres Campaign run since he knows the Dem Party is in total disarray and kieth ellison is too much of an extreme left muslim racist ideologue?
He has his own brew of kim chee to clean up first…
” If he does keep refusing to comply with the Freedom of Information Law, you have to think he’s worried about what those documents will reveal.”
http://nypost.com/2016/12/04/the-disclosure-that-could-end-eric-schneidermans-career/
He has that pervasive dem party selection perception about what he will investigate, kinda like the IRS. Bring a matter to his attention that might end up hurting a dem party op and he will find an excuse to not follow the law in doing his job. that’s partisan and political, not legal,you know, like Honolulu law firms.
Keep thinking that. lol Fact is it is the republicans who are in a mess. They will soon be introducing single pay health care. lol Love all the new jobs the Donald has given us.
@ Tita Girl
whooops! ok read the article…Dems back to square one not that Dems cared for a non-muslim white guy.
@ Boots
ok “Keep thinking that. lol”
bootsie thinking? Too funny.
One month in. What’s the murder count in our cities?
For information on the current Murder Rates for specific cities please contact:
Chicago-Rahm
NY-DeBlasio
CA-Moonbat
Schneiderman is just another schmuck trying to get attention. An errand boy for the 1 percenters masquerading as a crusader for the people. I see he earned his eugenicist bona fides in the 70’s by virtue of driving women (most likely black minorities) to the friendly neighborhood chop-shops. I’m sure that’s a source of pride for him to this day. And as a bonus he practices yoga, listens to jazz and reads history. Sounds like a typical left wing snob to me.
klastri also fits the profile. Birds of a feather.
Do you feel it’s odd that you think about me and write about me so often … every day? I sure do.
Man crush? Whatever it is, it’s bizarre and concerning. You are one odd duck.
You are just a popular person filled with hate. Will it melt snowflake?
Do you actually know the origin of “snowflake?” Likely not.
TO CEI: On any given day there are more than 400,000 children in foster care in the US.
In an average year, there are approximately 700,000 child victims of neglect and abuse in the US.
On any given day there are approximately 15,000,000 children in the US living at or below the poverty threshold. Of these *fifteen million* American children, some 4,600,000 are under 5 years of age, and 6,500,00 are in ‘deep poverty’ and living in families with an annual income of less than half the poverty threshold. So-called “pro-life” people don’t really care about kids’ lives. They just want to control women’s lives. They are pro-birth, not pro-life.
I wont disagree with your findings however you forgot to say that this is a result of Obama and his incompetent administration they truly did not care about the inner city and the working class poor, too the Democrats they were just a vote. This is a perfect example of the mess that President Trump has inherited. Finally we have a President that is doing what he promised, what is wrong with putting our country and the American people first.
Hats off to the bravest man in America. Take him out of the White House and throw him in jail.
IRT keaukaha: There’s nothing brave about what he is doing so quit slobbering. Remember the 1st amendment protects his speech. If he tried a similar stunt in the progressive utopias of Cuba or Venezuela I’d say he was brave.
IRT keaukaha: on what grounds besides he is not a Democrat. You comments are so ignorant so go climb back in your safe place and do not come out until you have put on your big boy pants.
New York is inarguably the greatest city in the country and is home to many of the country’s best minds and most creative people. They have a fine representative in Schneiderman, who speaks from a strong ethical and moral base, like all good men do.
ditto.