Governor of New York Kathy Hochul has publicly confirmed that she’s lost faith in the Cornell Police Department and the Tompkins County District Attorney over the “Cornell 7” investigation. This centers around a report from a former Cornell University student who alleges she was gang raped by seven Chi-Phi frat boys in October 2024.
The case has already drawn widespread anger from across the political spectrum, ranging from disbelief that those accused would receive punishments seen as a slap on the wrist, to attempts to expose the woman’s identity and accusations that she’s lying.
Hochul has now released a statement explaining, “Newly released information continues to raise serious questions” about the way the investigation has proceeded to date, including the decision not to prosecute. Hochul: “This has, in turn, undercut my faith, and the public’s faith, in the District Attorney’s ability to effectively investigate and prosecute the case at this time.”
“Undercut my faith, and the public’s faith”
Hochul is now appointing Attorney General Letitia James to the case as special prosecutor. James will now “investigate this incident and, if warranted, prosecute any offenses arising from that investigation and present evidence to a grand jury.” Hochul concludes:
Tonight, I signed an executive order appointing Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the Cornell sexual assault case.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) October 2, 2026
New information has raised serious questions about how this case was handled, and I’ve lost faith in the Tompkins County DA’s ability to… pic.twitter.com/R1YvXc3TPa
“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued. This action will ensure that the matter is fully and thoroughly investigated without conflict or bias, and handled independently with the rigor that this matter demands.”
James is already a nationally known figure due to her 2024 civil lawsuit against the Trump Organization, which saw Judge Arthur Engeron ruling that Trump be forbidden from operating any business in New York for three years and fining him over $355 million. Trump appealed, and the appeal court ruled that the order forbidding him from conducting business in New York be upheld, but voided the massive financial penalty.
Soon after Trump returned to office, James was referred to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution on allegations of deliberately misrepresenting facts for financial gain. This quickly spiraled into chaos, as prosecutors who said they couldn’t find evidence to support the allegations were threatened with losing their jobs (and subsequently resigned). Since then, the case has been repeatedly brought against James, and repeatedly dismissed, with grand juries refusing to re-indict.
As of writing, James has confirmed she’s already working on the Cornell 7 case, telling Spectrum News (via NY Post), “At this point in time we are possibly looking at how Cornell handled this situation and whether or not they could update their protocols and provide security to all their students. Particularly individuals who are the victims of sexual assault.”
