(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) New York Attorney General Letitia James has long faced questions about whether she has launched investigations with predetermined outcomes in mind. Her latest probe against the seven young men tied to the Cornell sex scandal is no exception.
Fresh off her appointment as special prosecutor by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, James was pressed about a Facebook post she made three days before the appointment in which she voiced support for “Jane Doe,” the woman behind the sexual abuse claims.
Specifically, James wrote on Facebook: “What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you.”
At a press conference announcing the special prosecutor appointment, a journalist asked James, “Why did you affirm her allegations as fact without doing your own fact-finding investigation?”
He then turned to Hochul and asked: “Why did you appoint an official who made a public statement affirming those allegations as fact as someone who’s supposed to be doing an investigation?”
Hochul responded that she had “every confidence” in James, while James replied, “I will not comment on a Facebook post.”
Reporter: "Attorney General, on your Facebook page three days ago, you wrote, ‘What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I'm holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her and to all survivors, you're not alone. We stand with you.’ Why did… pic.twitter.com/AtHcuaPumE
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) October 2, 2026
On X, critics quickly piled on James’ response, pointing out that the Facebook post was her own and arguing that it appeared to reveal a pattern in which James takes positions on allegations well before probing them.
The case stems from a 2024 incident in which “Doe” used drugs and engaged in sexual conduct with seven individuals. She would later allege that she had been gang-raped by them.
While the seven men received varying disciplinary punishments, none faced criminal charges after Matthew Van Houten, the district attorney in Tompkins County, determined that the conduct was the result of voluntary intoxication.
“Doe” has since filed a civil lawsuit against Cornell University, the seven men and several fraternity chapters. Some of the defendants have denied having sexual relations with the woman, while others affirm the encounters were consensual.
Hochul’s appointment of James as special prosecutor gives the attorney general authority to supersede the jurisdiction of the Tompkins County district attorney in the case.
In New York, criminal cases are handled by local district attorneys. Under the special prosecutor appointment, however, James has the authority to investigate the allegations and convene a grand jury to seek indictments.
This is not the first time James has faced questions about bias in an investigation. Perhaps the most infamous example is her civil probe against President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization.
When she ran for attorney general in 2018, James repeatedly vowed to use her office to investigate Trump before she had any evidence of wrongdoing. She ultimately secured a roughly $500 million judgment against Trump. A New York appeals court later threw the judgment out, ruling that it was excessive.
