New York State Attorney General and Prosecutor General Letitia James, who was appointed as a special prosecutor for the gang sexual assault case that occurred at the prestigious Cornell University in the United States, is taking a step back from the line of investigation.
As controversy arose over the fairness of the investigation over President James' comments on social media (SNS), a former federal prosecutor with extensive experience handling major sex crime cases was appointed to lead the investigation instead.
President James issued a statement on the 4th (local time) and announced that he had appointed former federal prosecutor Jacqueline Kelly as an external legal advisor to lead the criminal investigation into the alleged sexual assault that occurred at Cornell University in October 2024.
Former prosecutor Kelly graduated from Cornell University and Columbia University Law School and is currently working as a partner at the international law firm Boyce Schiller Flexner. In the past, he served as the first director of the Criminal Division's Civil Rights Division at the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office, and oversaw the investigation into the sex crime case of hip-hop mogul 'Diddy' (real name Sean Combs).
He also participated in the investigation of Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard's sexual misconduct case and the case of a Manhattan neurologist who sexually abused patients.
He will lead an investigation team composed of lawyers from the New York State Attorney General's Office and affiliated law firms, and will oversee procedures such as reviewing evidence and determining whether to indict.
The appointment of an external legal advisor was made amid controversy surrounding the fairness of President James's investigation.
Previously, New York Governor Cathy Hocal expressed distrust in the response of the local prosecutor's office, where Cornell University is located, and appointed President James as a special prosecutor on the 1st of last month to investigate the case.
However, following criticism that Prosecutor General James lacked experience in investigating sexual crimes, controversy also arose over his comments in support of the woman who was the victim of this incident.
In particular, some male students who were identified as perpetrators raised the possibility of a biased investigation by taking issue with President James' past SNS posts.
“What this young woman had to go through is horrific and unacceptable,” James wrote on social media three days before being appointed special counsel. “To her and all survivors: You are not alone. We are with you.”
Two male students each took legal action to request that President James be excluded from the investigation.
Among them was Korean student Winston Lee, who asked the court in Tompkins County, New York, where Cornell University is located, to prevent President James from being involved in the investigation.
Lee's defense team included lawyers who represented Diddy Combs in his federal sex crimes trial and movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's New York state sex crimes retrial.
President Donald Trump also joined the attack, questioning James' fairness.
President James is a person who has been at odds with President Trump, including leading a civil lawsuit against President Trump and his family's businesses.
