Letitia James Pushed Hard In Debate On How She Can Be Impartial On Cornell 7 Case Given Her Public Statements

Incumbent New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) and her Republican challenger Saritha Komatireddy debated on Thursday night with the Cornell 7 rape allegations looming large in the contentious race.

Spectrum News NY1 political anchor Susan Arbetter asked James a pointed question about her past statements in support of the Jane Doe who is accusing seven of her classmates of sexual assault 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. 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 began, adding:

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.” 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?

“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, 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 replied, adding:

And we will do that based on the facts and based on the evidence. Politics stops at the door in my office. 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. 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.

Watch the clip above via Spectrum News.

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