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On October 2, 2026, President Donald Trump said he felt “badly” for the seven men accused in an alleged sexual assault at Cornell, arguing they would not get a “fair shake” from New York Attorney General Letitia James. His remarks followed Governor Kathy Hochul’s appointment of James’s office to investigate the case. That appointment authorizes an investigation; it does not establish anyone’s guilt or mean charges have been filed.
What Trump said about the Cornell investigation
During a press gaggle on October 2, Trump called James “a corrupt person” and said he could not imagine the accused receiving a fair process from her office. His exact words, as reported by The Daily Beast, were: “Well, Letitia James is a corrupt person. 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. Letitia James is a corrupt person.”
Trump also questioned Hochul’s appointment in a Truth Social post and referred to James as “Letitia ‘Peekaboo’ James,” according to The Daily Beast. The reporting says critics have characterized the nickname as racist and Trump has denied that characterization. The label is disputed; it should not be treated as an uncontested description.
Trump’s statements are his criticism of James and his view of the appointment, not a finding about how the investigation will be conducted. Mediaite also reported his “fair shake” remarks.
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Why James’s office was appointed
On October 1, 2026, Hochul signed an executive order appointing the New York Attorney General’s Office as special prosecutor in the investigation into an alleged sexual assault at Cornell in October 2024. The appointment followed the Tompkins County district attorney’s reopening of a case that had been closed without charges in 2024. The Associated Press reported the case timeline and transfer.
The appointment gives James’s office responsibility for investigating and, if warranted, presenting evidence to a grand jury. It is not itself a criminal charge, a grand-jury decision, or a determination that the accused committed a crime.
What James said about the assignment
In a statement after the appointment, James said: “Every New Yorker deserves to know that when they report a crime, it will be investigated fully and fairly. The Governor has entrusted my office with this investigation, and we do not take that responsibility lightly.” She also said: “As our state’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer, I stand ready to lead a process New Yorkers can trust, guided by the facts and the law.” The wording appears in the New York Attorney General’s Office announcement.
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What is and is not established
- The underlying matter concerns an alleged sexual assault at Cornell in October 2024; seven men are accused.
- The case was closed without charges in 2024, then reopened by the Tompkins County district attorney in 2026 before the appointment of James’s office.
- The special-prosecutor appointment assigns investigative authority and permits presentation of evidence to a grand jury if warranted. It does not establish guilt.
- Trump’s claims that James is corrupt and that the accused will not receive a fair process are his allegations, not established findings in the cited reporting.
The cited accounts do not report a charging decision by James’s office. The allegations therefore remain allegations, and the appointment should be understood as a procedural step rather than a conclusion about the case.
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