New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, faced tough questions Thursday night over her past comments on the Cornell 7 rape allegations, as she squared off against Republican challenger Saritha Komatireddy in a contentious debate.
The case loomed large over the race, and it took center stage right out of the gate.
Spectrum News NY1 political anchor Susan Arbetter pressed James on her previous statements in support of the Jane Doe who is accusing seven of her classmates of sexually assaulting her while she was intoxicated.
“We are going to begin tonight with an investigation that has been in the headlines, not only here in New York but nationally, and the Attorney General’s office is playing a central role,” Arbetter said. “The alleged gang rape of a Cornell University student in 2024 has raised questions about how both Cornell and the local district attorney have handled the case.”
Arbetter then zeroed in on James’ new role in the case and the comments she made before taking it on.
“Last week, Ms. James, Governor Hochul named you special prosecutor in the case, but critics and some legal experts are questioning the move, noting that before your appointment, during an interview with Spectrum, you called the alleged victim a survivor. And you also said, quote, ‘I stand with the victim,’” Arbetter said.
The anchor followed up with a direct challenge.
“Considering these comments, can the accused students have confidence that you haven’t prejudged the case? And as a law enforcement official, how can you make those comments based only on allegations before conducting an investigation and seeing the evidence?” she asked.
James defended her remarks, framing them as an expression of compassion rather than a judgment on the case.
“Comments demonstrate empathy. And what we need now more than ever in our body politic is more empathy,” James said.
The attorney general insisted that the governor had tasked her with handling the case impartially.
“The governor of the great state of New York, Governor Kathy Hochul, basically assigned me to analyze this case and to judge it and to do it without bias. And she’s requesting an unbiased investigation and a thorough investigation,” James said.
She vowed that her office would follow the evidence and keep politics out of it.
“And we will do that based on the facts and based on the evidence. Politics stops at the door in my office,” James said.
James then pivoted to her office’s broader record over her time in charge.
“And it’s really critically important that individuals understand that during these last seven years, we have investigated a number of cases all throughout the state of New York, and it has resulted, obviously, in judgments to the tune of billions of dollars to residents of the state of New York,” she said.
She also acknowledged that criminal prosecution is not the main focus of her office.
“And we’ve also engaged in some limited prosecution because, for the most part, our office is focused on civil matters and not criminal matters,” James said.
The exchange put a spotlight on the questions critics and some legal experts have raised about James’ appointment as special prosecutor, given her public comments about the alleged victim before she was named to the role.