A bar ethics complaint has been filed against New York Attorney General Letitia James for allegedly making prejudicial statements about the “Cornell 7” in the days before being appointed special prosecutor to look into criminal charges for the Ivy’s Chi Phi frat members, The Post has learned.
Two days before she was appointed special prosecutor to reopen an investigation into a 2024 alleged gang rape at Cornell University’s Chi Phi house, James posted on social media: “What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable.”
“To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you,” she wrote in the Sept. 28 post on X.
By showing whose accounts of the drug-fueled night of partying she believed — before even beginning to investigate — James compromised herself, argued the Washington, DC-based National Legal and Policy Center, which filed the complaint.
“It is clear that she must recuse herself from having anything to do with this case to preserve the impartiality and integrity of any investigation and prosecution,” according to the complaint filed in New York State Supreme Court.
“This kind of public statement exhibiting clear bias on a highly publicized case by the highest law enforcement officer of New York violates New York rules of professional conduct.”
James should either recuse herself from the case, or be removed, said the nine-page complaint filed to the court’s Attorney Grievance Committee.
“The violation is flagrant, obvious and therefore shocking,” said legal ethicist Jack Marshall, whose expert witness report was included with the complaint.
“I find it remarkable that the top lawyer in the state of New York could possibly be so unfamiliar
with the professional ethics standards of her own state, which have the force of law.”
James’ statement “raises suspicion of a rigged, pre-determined and illicit investigation,” Marshall said.
At Thursday night’s attorney general debate against Republican challenger Saritha Komatireddy, James pushed back.
“Those comments demonstrate empathy,” James said. “And what we need now more than ever in our body politics is more empathy.”
“Politics stops at the door in my office,” she insisted.
“In this and every investigation, the Office of the Attorney General is committed to conducting a comprehensive review of nothing but the facts, the evidence and the law,” a spokesperson for her office told The Post.
Two of the men accused by Jane Doe in her lawsuit, Winston Lee and Gillio Lopes, filed court documents asking James be removed from the case, saying she “made clear… she has already reached the conclusion. … the defendants are guilty.”
James has been tasked with conducting a full investigation into what happened at the Chi Phi house on Oct. 19, 2024 and, if warranted, present evidence to a grand jury.
