Attorney General Letitia James opens criminal probe of alleged Cornell fraternity gang rape

Political Guyentist · October 3, 20261 min read

Kathy Hochul (Gov-D New York) appointed James special prosecutor. James announced an 'active criminal investigation.' Hochul blamed Cornell police for sending an incomplete record. She also blamed the DA for never interviewing the accuser. Hochul vowed to close the state's 'voluntary intoxication' loophole in rape law in January.

Catch upwhat happened before · 1 earlier issue

In October 2024 a Cornell student says she was gang-raped at the Chi Phi fraternity house. Oct. 1 — Cornell agreed to an outside review of its handling as the Tompkins County DA reopened the criminal case, saying he had never seen her rape claim. More than 50 Chi Phi brothers were in a Snapchat group chat during the alleged assault, per ABC News. Trump called James 'corrupt' and said 'whoever she's looking at' won't 'get a fair shake.'

Oct 1Cornell agrees to outside review of how it handled a student's gang rape lawsuit against 7 Chi Phi members

What we’re less sure of4 of 7 claims

Medium
Hochul blamed Cornell police for sending an incomplete record and the DA for never interviewing the accuser.
The story attributes this to Hochul. The specific allegations (incomplete record, no interview) are Hochul's characterization, and none of the listed annotations independently confirms them.
Medium
Hochul vowed to close the state's 'voluntary intoxication' loophole in rape law in January.
A commitment attributed to Hochul, per Politico ('Hochul eyes changes to state's rape law'). Fox News notes the related Dinowitz bill has been pending since 2019.
Medium
On Oct. 1 Cornell agreed to an outside review as the Tompkins County DA reopened the criminal case, saying he had never seen her rape claim.
The DA's statement is attributed to him. AP, the Washington Examiner and ABC/WKRC support the reopening. The Oct. 1 dating of Cornell's outside review is not separately pinned by any listed annotation. Note that AP describes the reopening as based on 'new information in the woman's lawsuit.'
Medium
More than 50 Chi Phi brothers were in a Snapchat group chat during the alleged assault.
A single-outlet detail explicitly attributed to ABC News; no other listed source corroborates the count.