The state legislature on Tuesday began interviewing 13 candidates vying to fill the Attorney General’s position on an interim basis until a permanent replacement is elected.
Barbara Underwood, who took over as Acting AG when Eric Schneiderman resigned in disgrace last week, was the first to be interviewed.
Schneiderman’s resignation came after four women accused him of hitting and choking them in an article published by the New Yorker.
“It’s an understatement to say that none of us expected to be here today for this purpose but we are here after deeply disturbing allegations that stunned me and many others and that caused the prior attorney general to resign,” Underwood said.
“The result is that this office is vacant at a critical time for our state.”
She assured lawmakers she only wants to serve in the position until a new Attorney General is sworn in.
The legislature is required by law to choose who fills the role in the meantime.
“This is a mandate, not an option,” said Assemblyman Joe Lentol, who is chairing the joint Assembly and Senate committee that’s interviewing candidates seeking the interim job.
Underwood said she would resume her No. 2 spot as Solicitor General if the next elected official leading the office wants her to stay.
Underwood had been Solicitor General for nearly a decade and also served as the Acting Solicitor General of the United States from 1998 through 2001.
She touted a history of fighting discrimination, harassment and injustice and vowed to continue lawsuits that Schneiderman filed, including more than 100 targeting Trump administration’s policies.
Two Asssemblymen, Thomas Abinanti, a Westchester Democrat, and Daniel O’Donnell, a New York City Democrat, were among those lined up for interviews after Underwood.