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New York Governor Kathy Hochul is taking a local DA off the Cornell gang rape investigation
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and putting the state attorney general in charge. Hochul has appointed Attorney General Letitia
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James as special prosecutor, saying she's lost faith in Tompkins County DA Matthew Van
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Houten's ability to fairly oversee the case. The allegations date back to 2024, when a Cornell
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student says she was drugged and raped by multiple men at a fraternity house. Cornell conducted its
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own investigation, which led to expulsions, suspensions, and other sanctions. But Van
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Houten's office closed its criminal investigation without filing charges. He reopened it this week
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after the woman, identified only as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit and new details about the
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original investigation came to light. Van Houten has since said he never saw the full transcript
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of Doe's 2024 interview with campus police, including her statement that she was 100
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confident she had been raped. Now, James will decide whether there's enough evidence to pursue
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criminal charges and present the case to a grand jury. Hochul says the woman at the center of the
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case deserves to know every fact will be examined and justice pursued. Hochul and James are set to
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hold a news conference at 930 Eastern this morning with an update on the investigation
