Letitia James Faces Recusal Bid in Cornell Rape Probe After Sept. 28 Posts
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 13
Letitia James Faces Recusal Bid in Cornell Rape Probe After Sept. 28 Posts
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 13
Summary
Oct. 7 court papers from defense lawyer Andrew Miltenberg seek to remove New York Attorney General Letitia James from the Cornell gang-rape investigation, arguing her Sept. 28 social-media post backing the accuser undermines neutrality.
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said those comments could complicate any charging decision by giving defense lawyers grounds to argue the jury pool was tainted, even if James did not expect to be appointed special prosecutor.
James and Gov. Kathy Hochul have defended her role, with James saying the probe will be guided by facts and law and Hochul saying she trusts the attorney general after losing confidence in the local district attorney's handling.
The recusal push has also revived scrutiny of a 2022 lawsuit by former aide Sofia Quintanar, who accused James of mishandling sexual-misconduct allegations against ex-chief of staff Ibrahim Khan; courts dismissed claims against James personally in 2025 and upheld that ruling in May 2026.