New York Attorney General Letitia James is facing a request to step aside from her investigation of an alleged sexual assault involving Cornell students after publicly expressing support for the alleged victim before her appointment as special prosecutor.
Andrew Miltenberg, who represents one of the accused students, filed a court petition on Oct. 7 arguing James’s social media remarks could raise questions about her ability to assess the evidence impartially. James had written that what the young woman had experienced was “horrific and unacceptable” and offered support to her and other survivors. The source does not report a ruling on the petition.
Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed James to lead the investigation after questioning the local district attorney’s handling of the case, which concerns an alleged assault at a fraternity house in October 2024. Hochul has said she trusts James to examine the facts and law. A spokesperson for James said she takes such matters seriously and follows the evidence and law. James has also said her office will be guided by the facts and law.
The appointment has brought renewed scrutiny to a lawsuit filed in 2022 by Sofia Quintanar, a former deputy press secretary in James’s office. Quintanar accused James of mishandling her allegations against then-chief of staff Ibrahim Khan, including claims that he forcibly kissed her at a political fundraiser in November 2021. James and her office denied wrongdoing, according to the source.
A federal judge dismissed Quintanar’s claims against James personally and the Attorney General’s Office in February 2025. An appellate court upheld those dismissals in May 2026, finding the suit had not sufficiently shown James knew of Khan’s alleged misconduct. The appellate court allowed a federal civil-rights claim against Khan to proceed and revived retaliation claims involving Khan and James’s reelection campaign.
The source reports that an investigation substantiated allegations against Khan and that he resigned in November 2022. The Cornell case remains an allegation, and the source provides no outcome on whether criminal charges will be filed.
