Letitia James appointment becomes pressure point in Cornell gang rape case

President Trump says the Cornell 7 won’t get a fair shake with New York Attorney General Letitia James investigating their alleged gang rape case — and more the one of the accused agrees. 

James’s appointment has become the latest flashpoint in the swelling controversy over the 2024 incident and its handling by officials. A longtime Trump antagonist, she was hit with accusations of bias right away after posting online in support of Jane Doe, the former Cornell University student who accuses Chi Phi brothers of plying her with drugs before sexually assaulting her. 

“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,” James posted on her social media days before she was tapped by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to investigate the case. 

Gillio Lopes and Winston Lee, two of the seven men named by Jane Doe’s lawsuit, argue in separate petitions to the courts that the post proves James will not be able to lead a “fair investigation.” 

And the National Legal and Policy Center filed an ethics complaint against James over the message, saying it showed “clear bias on a highly publicized case.” 

Legal experts tell The Hill that while the post may have been ill-advised, it likely does not meet the measure of removal from the case. 

“At the time of her comments, James had not yet been appointed to handle the criminal investigation, so it can be argued that the rule did not apply to her at all,” said Barbara McQuade, a law professor at the University of Michigan and former U.S. attorney.

At an event last week, James said her comments “demonstrate empathy, and what we need now more than ever in our body politic is more empathy.”

“The governor of the great state of New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul, assigned me to analyze this case and........

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