Hochul names AG Letitia James special prosecutor in Cornell rape case
New York's governor intervenes after Cornell campus police and local prosecutors allegedly mishandled a 2024 gang-rape report.
Part of a larger narrative
Cornell Gang-Rape Case
- Cornell bans all fraternity parties for rest of academic year
- Cornell Taps Sally Yates to Investigate Its Handling of Fraternity Rape Case
- Hochul names AG Letitia James special prosecutor in Cornell rape caseyou are here
- Cornell faculty move to oust leadership over handling of gang-rape case
- Cornell President Vows Reform as Hochul Says Accuser Was 'Failed' by Officials
What to know
- Hochul appointed AG Letitia James as an independent special prosecutor after a woman said she was failed by Cornell police and local prosecutors following a 2024 gang-rape report.
- Hochul said the woman's statement that she was '100% confident' she had been raped never made it into the account Cornell police sent to prosecutors, who declined to charge anyone without interviewing her.
- James's office says it will independently review evidence, gather facts, and interview witnesses, pursuing charges if warranted.
“This young woman had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable. And then, at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her,”
Kathy Hochul, New York Governor · Anadolu Agency ↗ · Oct 1
Kathy Hochul New York Governor
Letitia James New York Attorney GeneralCornell University Institution where alleged assault occurredMoira Penza Former federal prosecutor
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesvideospostscomments
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Former prosecutor discusses case handling on WBUR
WBUR's Here & Now spoke with Moira Penza, a former federal prosecutor who has worked on sexual assault cases in New York, about the appointment and the case.
“No institution gets to protect its reputation at the expense of a young person seeking justice,…”
— Kathy Hochul, New York Governor · source -
first by WBUR, 12d ago · also Virginia Lawyers Weekly, Anadolu Agency
2 more headlines
- Hochul appoints special prosecutor in Cornell sexual assault case Virginia Lawyers Weekly · 12d ago
- New York governor names special prosecutor in Cornell sexual assault case Anadolu Agency · 12d ago
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🚨NEW: Donald Trump on Letitia James being special prosecutor for the Cornell rape case: "I feel badly for whoever she's looking at, because they won't get a fair shake" Basically, he feels badly for the Cornell suspects. He’s siding with rapists.
2 more of the top 3 · 19 posts in this stretch
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says she is "deeply disturbed" by the way Cornell University's police department and the county prosecutor handled a student's rape allegations in 2024. She has appointed the state's attorney general, Letitia James, as a special prosecutor to take over the case.
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snopes used to be my go to gold standard source for reliable information this post is so poorly written it looks like AI sady https://www. snopes.com/fact-check/trump-ba dly-cornell-7/
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background
James pledges independent review and possible charges — Attorney General Letitia James said her office would review the facts, gather evidence, and interview witnesses, pursuing prosecution if warranted.
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Hochul appoints AG Letitia James as special prosecutor
Gov. Kathy Hochul invoked her gubernatorial authority to name state Attorney General Letitia James an independent special prosecutor, saying Cornell police omitted the woman's certainty she had been raped from the account sent to prosecutors, who then declined to pursue charges without interviewing her.
“That is why I’m invoking the power conferred to me as the governor of the state of New York to enlist Attorney General James as an independent special prosecutor in this case…”
— Kathy Hochul -
8 outlets first by HotAir, 12d ago · also Fox News, NY Post, CBS News, BBC, NYT, NBC News +1 · read ↗
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first by NYT, 12d ago · also WSTM, New York Times
1 more headline
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BREAKING: NY Governor, Kathy Hochul, has named NY Attorney General, Letitia James, as the Special Prosecutor to investigate the Cornell rape case.
2 more of the top 3 · 93 posts in this stretch
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The expression “s*** just got real” comes to mind.
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This is a double delight--she's an excellent prosecutor, and it's going to drive Trump nuts just to see her in the spotlight and given recognition for what she does.
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background
Woman reports gang rape at Cornell fraternity house — A woman reported in 2024 that she was gang-raped at a Cornell fraternity house and later accused campus police and local prosecutors of failing to properly handle her case.
Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by Washington Examiner, 9d ago · also Newsweek, The Washington Post, UPI
3 more headlines
- What Letitia James Has Said About Cornell Case as Accused Demands Removal Newsweek · 6d ago
- Lawyers for accused man in Cornell case want Letitia James removed as prosecutor The Washington Post · 6d ago
- Man accused in Cornell rape case seeks New York AG' James' removal UPI · 6d ago
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first by Mercury News, 11d ago · also Globe and Mail
1 more headline
- What to know about the investigation into the Cornell University sexual-assault allegations Globe and Mail · 8d ago
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first by Hindustan Times, 12d ago · also Snopes
1 more headline
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first by BBC, 8d ago
1 more headline
and 6 smaller pieces
What people are saying 18 voices from 1 site · best of 112 · verbatim
- Oct 2
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Also, please call Gov. Hochul at 518-474-8390. Thank her for appointing James but tell her that she must get Heastie to change the NYS rape law that benefits rapists. This cannot just be a show she puts on for reelection and lets drop in Nov. She has to get Heastie to bring the change to a vote.
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www.thecornell7.org Please consider spreading the URL for this website to everyone you know... 🤬
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#IamJaneDoe We are human beings. No more silence!
- Oct 1
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Cue DJT to post something horrendous about her & praising the young, good looking, strong men accused of the gang rape.
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And prosecuting rapists. His biggest fear - a give-no-fucks anti-rapist female prosecutor with guts.
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I hope their families are bankrupted. There is undoubtedly going to be a "Poor against Rich" factor. Some will give State's evidence against the other, just to save Cash. If my kids did something like this, they would NEVER have a seat at my table or inherit a penny from ME.
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She’s possibly a Fury. I literally cackled like a manic hen when I read this. Cornell will be reduced to ash and I’m here for it.
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Good start but this doesn't yet fix the flaw with the NY State rape law. Carl Heastie, NY State Assembly Speaker is allowing rapists like the Cornell 7 to walk because he refuses to change the law. If a woman has voluntarily had a drink and gets raped, the rapist goes free. Pressure Heastie/Hochul.
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So all of MAGA is gonna root for the rapists…
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This going to get done now that NY Attorney General James is on this case. I believe in her honesty and level of energy and her know-how to get to the bottom of this.
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I can’t even begin to impress what a smart power move this is. It means the victim will actually be heard.
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Letitia James... a champion of justice, a Republican's worst nightmare.
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Now they will get what’s coming to them.
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It’s time to send a message to universities that have been sweeping this under the rug for a century. To police, who do nothing to the sons of privilege. To the perpetrators, who live lives without consequences and to their parents who raised dildos.
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AWESOME‼️...Thank you, Katie for sharing this GREAT NEWS‼️
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Good luck to those implicated they will need it
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complete confidence in her to get to the bottom of this
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The Republicans are going to love that. Let's see them try and win an election while also jumping to the defense of rapists. 😄