Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he was the victim of a fake news hit on Tuesday, and has turned over to Capitol Police a document that purports to detail lurid sexual harassment accusations by a former staffer.

Why it matters: This was an apparent effort to dupe reporters and smear a senator — both symptoms of an amped-up news environment where harassment charges are proliferating and reporters have become targets for fraud.

The former staffer told me in a phone interview that she did not author the document, that none of the charges ring true, and that her signature was forged.

She said she had never heard of the document before Axios took it to Schumer’s office for comment on Tuesday.