Samantha Bee went off. On Wednesday night, May 9, the Full Frontal host addressed the "infuriating" news about former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who days earlier became the subject of four separate allegations of domestic abuse and assault, which where published in The New Yorker. The video of Samantha Bee's response to the Eric Schneiderman allegations highlights a fact about how the news has been received.
Former supporters are particularly angered because of the fact that Schneiderman positioned himself as a champion of women, which Bee went into on her show. In a statement announcing his resignation, Scheiderman said he strongly contests the claims made against him.
“This is especially infuriating given his supposed woke bae-ness,” Bee said. “Throughout his political career Schneiderman positioned himself as a feminist crusader, he championed the #MeToo Movement, and filed a civil rights lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein. He put out pamphlets for victims of domestic violence and he helped craft an anti-choking law even though he’s now accused of choking his girlfriends.”
Schneiderman resigned from office on Monday, May 7, a day after The New Yorker published its lengthy report about him. In the report, multiple women accused the former attorney general of different forms of abuse, including nonconsensual violence during sex, which he has denied.
Despite Schneiderman's denials, however, Samantha Bee still proceeded to rant against the former AG.
"F*ck you Eric Schneiderman. The good legal work that you did for women does not absolve you," Bee said. "It will not give me one second's pause about tearing you a new assh*le on television."
During her segment, Bee acknowledged the fact that she had Schneiderman on the show in November. During that appearance, the host showered him with praise — albeit with the typical hyperbole and satire that come with political comedy shows — while highlighting how Schneiderman was growing a reputation as a high profile opponent of President Donald Trump.
Following The New Yorker's report, Full Frontal's official YouTube channel changed the title and the description of the video for Schneiderman's November appearance, which is now titled "Former AG tricks Sam into thinking he was decent."
"We taped this segment before the allegations against Eric Schneiderman came to light, and we sincerely apologize for characterizing him as a hero when, to so many women, he was the vilest villain. We're keeping this piece online in the interest of integrity. We encourage you to make a donation to an anti-domestic violence organization like The Battered Women's Justice Project," the revised description reads, while linking to the project's page. "Also, if you're a f*cking disgrace, please consider not coming on our show."
The allegations against Schneiderman prompted a trend of liberal advocates denouncing the former attorney general was well. The messages shared a theme: disappointment at how Schneiderman's image contrasted with the graphic accusations made against him.
“We are appalled and horrified to learn about the violent behavior ascribed to Eric Schneiderman. This is especially disappointing given his long history of advocacy and action in support of women’s rights," Andrea Miller, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, said in a statement. "We believe it is our collective duty to trust women. It takes extraordinary courage to come forward with allegations of this magnitude — we hope they are taken seriously and that justice is served.”
As for Bee, her expression of disappointment was apparent on social media, too, where her show's account replied to the official account for the New York Attorney General's office, asking the latter to take down an animation made by Full Frontal, which depicted Schneiderman as a superhero fighting against Trump's travel ban.
As if that didn't make her feelings known, her monologue on Wednesday made her position clear.
"Eric Schneiderman," she said. "You are trash and we do not need you."
