News York Governor Kathy Hochul blasted the police and DA for leaving out Jane Doe’s allegations of rape and vowed to change the “loophole” in New York state law in a Friday morning press conference updating the public on the Cornell 7 sexual assault case.
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“What we learned yesterday raised even more troubling questions about what was done and not done after this young woman came forward. She spoke to the police. She sat for hours and told them exactly what happened to her, and according to new reports, she could not have been clearer that she was 100% confident that she had been raped. Yet, shockingly, those words never made it into the account that the Cornell police sent to prosecutors. The attorney general then declined to pursue charges after reviewing that incomplete account and never interviewing her. Think about that,” Gov. Hochul said.
Hochul addressed the “gap” in the state law, saying that “voluntary intoxication is not a license for sexual assault or rape” and vowed to work with the New York State Legislature to close the loophole.
“This case has also exposed another problem we need to address: a gap in state law. If someone is too intoxicated to consent, it should not matter whether they chose to use drugs or alcohol. Voluntary intoxication is not a license for sexual assault or gang rape. Period. I support closing this loophole and will work with the New York State Legislature to accomplish this.”
“Last night, I signed an executive order appointing Leticia James as special prosecutor in the sexual assault case at Cornell. University,” she said of her late Thursday appointment of New York Attorney General Letitia James as an independent special prosecutor to conduct a fresh review of the Cornell case, following reports that the Cornell University police provided an incomplete account to prosecutors, omitting the victim’s explicit statements regarding the assault.
James’ office will review evidence, gather information, interview witnesses and file charges if warranted.
“She'll follow the facts, she'll examine the evidence, and go wherever it leads. And if the evidence supports criminal charges, she will pursue them. No institution gets to protect its reputation at the expense of a young person seeking justice. No public official gets a look the other way when the system breaks down and fails our young people.”
Hochul said James would follow the facts and examine the evidence wherever it leads, which we can trust to be more true for James than it is for most, given her relentless pursuit of Trump when most would not.
AG Tish James followed Hochul, vowing to follow the facts in the coming months. She said she knew the public wanted answers, and she did, too. She cautioned people that it takes time to conduct an investigation.
