President Donald Trump criticized New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s decision to appoint state Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to investigate an alleged 2024 campus sexual assault at Cornell University, warning that the individuals under scrutiny will not receive an impartial review.
President Trump criticized the appointment during a White House press appearance on Friday, October 2, 2026. Governor Hochul directed James to take over the criminal investigation by executive order after stating she lacked confidence in the local prosecutor’s handling of the matter.
The announcement follows months of intense scrutiny surrounding an alleged incident at the Phi Chi fraternity house at Cornell University in October 2024. A former student filed a 101-page lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court accusing seven fraternity members of drugging and assaulting her — a group widely referred to in public coverage as the Cornell 7
.
Speaking to reporters before boarding Marine One on October 2, 2026, Trump dismissed the impartiality of the state’s top prosecutor, pointing to their history of contentious legal battles, including a civil fraud lawsuit James brought against the Trump Organization after he left the White House in his first term. That civil fraud litigation resulted in a judge imposing a penalty, and Trump’s federal Justice Department subsequently charged James in 2025 with counts including bank fraud and making a false statement to a financial institution regarding a Virginia second home listed as a primary residence in loan documents, though that case was ultimately dismissed and two grand juries declined to re-indict her.
“Letitia James is a corrupt person, I feel bad for whoever she’s looking at because they won’t get a fair shake.”
President Donald Trump, via Yahoo
Trump also responded on Truth Social by sharing a video monologue from the Will Cain show on Fox, in which Cain criticized Hochul and James over the case. During a gaggle outside the White House on Friday, Fox News’s Peter Doocy asked the president specifically about the New York governor appointing James as a special prosecutor, prompting Trump to remark that she is a corrupt person.
Governor Hochul Intervenes After Tompkins County DA Declines Charges
The state-level intervention stems from a breakdown in local proceedings. According to District Attorney Van Houten, the woman did not withdraw her consent during the incident, and when she expressed concerns, the fraternity brothers stopped and did not pursue what they were doing. While the university dealt with internal matters, Governor Hochul expressed dissatisfaction, signing an executive order appointing James after stating that new information raised serious questions and undercut her faith in the Tompkins County District Attorney’s ability to effectively investigate and prosecute the case.
The case became national news when a Jane Doe filed her lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court accusing seven fraternity brothers of raping her at the fraternity house in October 2024. The 101-page lawsuit alleges the men plied her with alcohol and ketamine and subjected her to an hours-long sexual assault. All of the Cornell seven have denied wrongdoing. According to a report by The New York Times, some of the men named in the lawsuit acknowledged sexual contact with the woman but maintained that it had been consensual.
Attorney General James Outlines Scope of Active Criminal Inquiry
“We will review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses, and, if warranted, pursue prosecutions.”
Letitia James, New York Attorney General, via Yahoo
Governor Hochul stated during her Friday press conference that she had previously called on Cornell to conduct an independent investigation led by outside counsel and spoke directly to the university president who agreed to take those steps, but added that what was learned raised troubling questions about what was or was not done after the young woman came forward. Hochul asserted that no institution gets to protect its reputation at the expense of a young person seeking justice, and no public official gets to look the other way when the system breaks down.
Public reaction to the revival of the case has varied widely.
Attorney General James stated that her office stands ready to lead a process guided by the facts and the law, promising to carry out the responsibilities conferred by the governor’s executive order by reviewing facts, gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and pursuing prosecutions if warranted.
Meanwhile, the legal and public fallout continues as the state attorney general’s office formally initiates its inquiry into the October 2024 fraternity incident at Cornell University.
As the investigation proceeds under the direction of the newly appointed special prosecutor, legal teams for the seven fraternity members maintain that their clients are innocent of the accusations leveled against them in the Manhattan Supreme Court filing.
Further updates on the proceedings are expected as the state attorney general’s office begins formal witness interviews and evidence gathering pursuant to the governor’s executive order.
Keep reading