Trump Expresses Sympathy for Accused ‘Cornell Seven’

President Donald Trump jumped into the growing controversy surrounding a reopened sexual-assault investigation at Cornell University, saying he feels “badly” for the people being investigated now that one of his longtime political and legal adversaries has been put in charge.

Trump made the comments Friday after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case involving seven former members of Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity.

The men have been accused in a civil lawsuit of participating in the alleged drugging and sexual assault of a female Cornell student in 2024. No criminal charges had been filed against any of the seven as of Friday.

Trump’s reaction centered largely on James.

“Letitia James is a corrupt person,” Trump told reporters Friday. “She’s totally corrupt, and I can’t imagine it. And I feel badly for whoever she’s looking at because they won’t get a fair shake.”

Trump has repeatedly attacked James over her previous investigations and litigation involving him and his businesses. James brought New York’s high-profile civil fraud case against Trump and the Trump Organization, making the two longtime adversaries.

The president’s remarks immediately attracted attention because of the seriousness of the allegations surrounding the Cornell case.

But Trump did not say the seven accused men were innocent and did not address the evidence against them. His comments instead questioned whether James could oversee the investigation fairly.

The controversy began with allegations dating back to October 2024.

A woman identified in court papers as Jane Doe alleges she was intoxicated and drugged before being sexually assaulted by multiple men inside Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house.

She was 20 years old at the time.

Her recently filed civil lawsuit names Cornell University, fraternity organizations and seven current or former fraternity members among the defendants.

The lawsuit alleges that fraternity members encouraged others to participate through a Snapchat group conversation while the woman was incapacitated.

The defendants have not been convicted of crimes, and the allegations contained in the lawsuit remain allegations unless established in court.

The criminal investigation initially ended without charges.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten previously said prosecutors did not believe the evidence available at the time was sufficient to pursue criminal charges under New York law.

That decision came under intense new scrutiny after the civil lawsuit was filed and additional records surrounding the original investigation became public.

Van Houten subsequently reopened the investigation and announced plans to present evidence to a grand jury.

Hochul then took the extraordinary step of removing the case from the local prosecutor and handing it to James.

The Democratic governor said she had lost confidence in how the case had been handled.

“At every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her,” Hochul said Friday while discussing the accuser.

Hochul specifically raised concerns about the original police and prosecutorial investigation.

According to Reuters and the Associated Press, Hochul said prosecutors had not personally interviewed the woman during the initial criminal investigation and had not reviewed her complete recorded interview with Cornell University Police. Hochul also said important details from the woman’s account did not make it into material provided to prosecutors.

Those revelations have become a major part of the dispute over why criminal charges were not pursued in 2024.

Cornell conducted a separate internal investigation.

The university has said its process included numerous interviews and eventually resulted in sanctions that included suspensions and expulsions. Cornell also shut down the Chi Phi chapter, which remains barred from campus.

The national fraternity has also taken disciplinary action.

Meanwhile, recently disclosed records have added another layer to the controversy.

Documents from Cornell’s investigation reportedly show that dozens of witnesses were interviewed, while messages and other evidence referenced in the civil lawsuit have prompted questions about what information law enforcement had — and what prosecutors actually reviewed — when the case was originally closed.

One of the biggest questions involves electronic communications among fraternity members.

The civil complaint describes a Snapchat group that allegedly contained messages concerning the woman and what was happening inside the fraternity house.

The local district attorney previously said his office had not seen those messages during the original investigation.

Hochul said James will now have the authority to examine the case independently.

James said her office intends to conduct a thorough review of the evidence and determine whether criminal prosecution is warranted.

The appointment nevertheless guarantees that the investigation will unfold amid a charged political backdrop.

James and Trump have battled publicly for years.

Her office brought the civil fraud case accusing Trump and his business of improperly representing the value of various assets. Trump has consistently denied wrongdoing and has repeatedly accused James of pursuing him for political reasons.

James has rejected those accusations.

Now she is stepping into an unrelated criminal investigation that has already become a national story.

Trump’s comments Friday make clear that he believes her history raises questions about whether the Cornell defendants can receive impartial treatment.

Hochul, however, has defended the appointment and expressed confidence in James’ ability to conduct an independent investigation.

The case could also have consequences extending beyond Cornell.

Hochul has called for changes to New York sexual-assault law, particularly provisions governing cases in which an alleged victim becomes incapacitated after voluntarily consuming alcohol or drugs.

The governor said the Cornell case exposed questions about whether existing state law adequately protects people who become incapable of consenting.

For now, James’ office faces the task of reexamining a case that began nearly two years ago, determining what evidence investigators collected, what may have been overlooked and whether prosecutors now have grounds to seek criminal charges.

The seven men accused in the civil lawsuit remain uncharged criminally and are entitled to the presumption of innocence.

The woman’s allegations, meanwhile, are now receiving a level of scrutiny they did not receive when the original criminal investigation was closed.

With New York’s attorney general taking over and the president publicly questioning her impartiality, a case that began inside a Cornell fraternity house has become a national legal and political controversy.