Posted by Tribune staff at 6:38 p.m.; updated at 6:50 p.m.
The ex-girlfriend of embattled Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Scott Lee Cohen put out a statement through her lawyer this evening saying Cohen is not fit to hold public office.
Amanda Eneman, 29, issued the statement through Gloria Allred, a high-profile California attorney. Cohen, a pawnbroker, was accused of holding a knife to the throat of his then-girlfriend Eneman, a convicted prostitute, in October 2005. Charges were dismissed after Eneman failed to show up in court.
Allred said Eneman lived with Cohen for “about a year some four or five years ago.”
“Based on her personal observations during the course of their relationship and his behavior, Miss Eneman does not believe that he is fit to hold any public office, including that of lieutenant governor,” Allred told the Tribune.
The Eneman statement comes after Cohen said Thursday that Democratic voters who nominated him Tuesday needed to hear from his ex-wife and ex-girlfriend before judging him.
“When the facts come to light, after my ex-wife and ex-girlfriend speak, the people of Illinois can decide, and I will listen to them directly. I am asking my ex-wife and ex-girlfriend to come forward and to talk with the media,” Cohen said in a statement Thursday.
Later Thursday, Cohen’s ex wife, Debra York-Cohen, appeared with him during interviews in which she stood by divorce file allegations that Cohen abused her, took illegal steroids and cheated on her.
Now Eneman is declaring Cohen unfit to hold public office.
Cohen could not be reached today through his spokeswoman.
Several top Democrats have called on Cohen to step down after revelations that he has been accused of abusing women, failing to pay child support and spending lavishly on extramarital affairs. In Sunday’s editions, the Tribune looks at Cohen’s tax troubles and other issues.
Allred’s clients have included the family of Nicole Brown Simpson, O.J. Simpson’s murdered ex-wife, and one of Tiger Woods’ alleged mistresses.