Special prosecutor close to naming outside lawyers to handle Cornell investigation

The New York attorney general’s office is close to naming external lawyers to handle the investigation into s exual assault allegations at Cornell University , officials close to the investigation said.

The office has reached out to several experienced attorneys to bolster its team, CNN reported Tuesday. The search began Thursday after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul named New York Attorney General Letitia James a special prosecutor on the case, the officials said. At the time Hochul said she “lost faith” in Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who was overseeing the investigation.

“On Thursday evening, after the Governor appointed the Office of the Attorney General as a special prosecutor, Attorney General James and her team began a comprehensive investigation led by OAG’s Criminal Justice Division. Since then, OAG has spoken with the Tompkins County District Attorney, Jane Doe’s attorney, and several candidates for outside counsel to support the investigation. The DA has agreed to cooperate, and OAG remains committed to a thorough and independent investigation guided only by the facts and the law,” a spokesperson for James said in a statement Tuesday.

James spoke with Van Houten Friday. Lawyers with the attorney general’s office also spoke with him and met in person in Ithaca on Monday, the officials said.

Jane Doe’s rape allegations, described in a recently filed lawsuit , have sparked nationwide debate over how universities handle sexual assault allegations and spurred demonstrations on and off campu s.

Early last week revelations came to light showing Van Houten did not receive all investigative documents. There were also conflicting accounts of what was provided to Van Houten and when. Van Houten declined to bring criminal charges in the case in 2024 after saying Jane Doe had described her actions on the night of the incident as “consensual.” He then said he would reopen the investigation after her lawsuit was filed last month.

After James was named to replace him on Friday, Van Houten said, “The focus has been and should continue to be on the victims. My office will cooperate fully with the attorney general.”

The New York attorney general’s criminal authority is limited by law to investigate police-related deaths, financial crimes, and organized crime. It does not have a history of investigating sex-based crimes. Its criminal justice division is staffed with attorneys with experience from federal agencies and local district attorney offices.

Hochul signed an executive order empowering the attorney general with criminal authority to investigate the allegations at Cornell, power to present to a grand jury, and ultimately bring charges, if warranted.

Thomas Giuffra , the attorney representing Jane Doe, told Jake Tapper on Sunday that he had an initial call with the attorney general’s office last week. He said he believed they were going to bring in experts from outside the office.

Giuffra told Tapper he hopes James will be able to get to the truth.

“She’s bringing in a lot of people who are experienced prosecutors and investigators to look into these things,” he said. “And they will get everything, and finally we will get what was done, what was said.”

But the attorney general tasked with leading the investigation is under scrutiny herself.

Four days before she was named special prosecutor, James posted a message on social media critics said was biased in favor of Doe.

“What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers,” the attorney general wrote on September 28. “To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you.”

A lawyer for one of the seven former fraternity members has called for James to recuse herself from the case.

“The issue is not her compassion toward someone alleging sexual assault,” attorney Andrew Miltenberg said. “The concern is that her statements could reasonably be understood as accepting that the alleged conduct occurred before she assumed responsibility for determining what the evidence establishes.”

据接近调查的官员透露，纽约州总检察长办公室即将任命外部律师来处理对康奈尔大学性侵指控的调查。

据美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）周二报道，该办公室已联系多位经验丰富的律师以加强其团队。官员们表示，此次遴选工作于周四启动，此前纽约州州长凯西·霍楚尔（Kathy Hochul）任命纽约州总检察长莱蒂西亚·詹姆斯（Letitia James）为该案的特别检察官。当时，霍楚尔表示她对负责此案调查的汤普金斯县地方检察官马修·范·豪顿（Matthew Van Houten）“失去了信心”。

“周四晚间，州长任命总检察长办公室为特别检察官后，詹姆斯总检察长及其团队随即展开了由总检察长办公室刑事司法部门牵头的全面调查。此后，总检察长办公室已与汤普金斯县地方检察官、简·多伊的律师以及几位外部律师候选人进行了沟通，以协助调查。地方检察官已同意配合调查，总检察长办公室将继续秉持事实和法律为依据，开展彻底独立的调查。”詹姆斯总检察长的一位发言人周二在一份声明中表示。

詹姆斯周五与范·豪顿进行了交谈。官员们表示，司法部长办公室的律师也与他进行了交谈，并于周一在伊萨卡与他进行了会面。

简·多伊在最近提起的诉讼中提出的强奸指控，引发了全国范围内关于大学如何处理性侵犯指控的辩论，并引发了校内外示威活动。

上周初，有消息披露范·豪顿并未收到全部调查文件。此外，关于范·豪顿收到哪些文件以及何时收到，各方说法不一。2024年，范·豪顿拒绝就此案提起刑事诉讼，理由是简·多伊称事发当晚的行为是“双方自愿的”。上个月简·多伊提起诉讼后，范·豪顿又表示将重启调查。

周五詹姆斯被任命接替他之后，范豪顿表示：“我们一直以来并将永远把重点放在受害者身上。我的办公室将全力配合司法部长的工作。”

纽约州总检察长的刑事调查权限受法律限制，仅限于调查与警察有关的死亡案件、金融犯罪和有组织犯罪。该部门此前并无调查性犯罪的记录。其刑事司法部门的律师均拥有来自联邦机构和地方检察官办公室的丰富经验。

霍楚签署了一项行政命令，赋予司法部长刑事调查权，可以调查康奈尔大学的指控，有权将案件提交大陪审团，并在必要时最终提起诉讼。

代表简·多伊的律师托马斯·吉弗拉周日告诉杰克·塔珀，他上周与总检察长办公室进行了初步通话。他说，他认为他们会从外部聘请专家。

吉弗拉告诉塔珀，他希望詹姆斯能够查明真相。

他说：“她请来了很多经验丰富的检察官和调查人员来调查这些事情。他们会查明一切，最终我们会知道发生了什么，说了什么。”

但负责领导调查的司法部长本人也正受到审查。

在被任命为特别检察官的四天前，詹姆斯在社交媒体上发布了一条消息，批评人士称该消息偏袒了约翰·多伊。

“这位年轻女子被迫遭受的苦难令人发指，无法接受。我将她放在心上，并为她祈祷，”司法部长在9月28日写道。“致她，也致所有幸存者：你们并不孤单。我们与你们同在。”

七名前兄弟会成员之一的律师要求詹姆斯回避此案。

“问题不在于她对性侵指控者的同情，”律师安德鲁·米尔滕贝格说，“令人担忧的是，她的言论可能会被合理地理解为，在她承担起查明证据之前，她就默认了指控的行为已经发生。”