Trump Blasts Hochul's Appointment of Letitia James as Special Prosecutor in Cornell Rape Case, Says People "Won't Get a Fair Shake"

President Donald Trump criticized New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's decision to appoint New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the Cornell University rape case, arguing that those involved "won't get a fair shake" with James in charge.

Hochul, a Democrat, appointed James, also a Democrat, to the case. James previously investigated and sued Trump, and the two have clashed publicly on numerous occasions.

Trump spoke to reporters Friday on the South Lawn as he departed for Alabama.

"Letitia James is a corrupt person," Trump said.

"I feel bad for whoever she's looking at because they won't get a fair shake," he added.

The president and the New York attorney general have been locked in a long-running feud. That feud has included state lawsuits challenging the administration's policies, as well as James' move to sue the Trump administration over fraud.

Trump's remarks came just hours after Hochul named James to the role. Hochul said she did not have confidence in the district attorney to handle the case.
James addressed her new role at a Friday press conference alongside Hochul.

"I stand ready to lead a process guided by the facts and the law. In the coming months, my office will dutifully carry out the responsibilities the governor has conferred upon us in this executive order," James said.

She outlined the steps her office plans to take.

"We will review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses, and, if warranted, pursue prosecutions," James said.

The appointment marks the latest development in the investigation into an alleged gang rape at a fraternity on the Cornell campus in 2025.

A woman who was a sophomore at Cornell at the time of the alleged incident has filed a lawsuit against the university, the fraternity, her own sorority and seven men she says were involved in assaulting her.

After reviewing the matter, a local district attorney declined to bring charges.

According to a report from The New York Times, some of the men named in the lawsuit acknowledged having sexual contact with the woman but said it was consensual.

Hochul's decision to hand the case to James now places one of the president's most prominent political adversaries at the center of a high-profile investigation. James has pledged that her office's work will be driven by the facts and the law, while Trump has made clear he does not believe she can be trusted to handle the matter fairly.

The clash adds another chapter to the ongoing battle between the president and the New York attorney general, whose history includes her investigation and lawsuit against Trump as well as repeated legal challenges to his administration's policies.
With James' office now set to review evidence and interview witnesses in the coming months, the case is likely to remain in the spotlight as she decides whether prosecutions are warranted.