{"id":2675014,"date":"2026-10-02T20:39:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T00:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cornell-7-case-turns-political-as-kathy-hochul-gets-involved-with-executive-order\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T20:43:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T00:43:03","slug":"cornell-7-case-turns-political-as-kathy-hochul-gets-involved-with-executive-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cornell-7-case-turns-political-as-kathy-hochul-gets-involved-with-executive-order\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Cornell 7&#8217; Case Turns Political as Kathy Hochul Gets Involved with Executive Order"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcornell-7-case-turns-political-as-kathy-hochul-gets-involved-with-executive-order%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2675014&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>the content discusses a high-profile case involving an alleged gang rape at Cornell University, which has <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >recently garnered meaningful media attention amidst upcoming elections<\/a> in New York. Governor Kathy Hochul has taken administrative action by appointing Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation, signaling a politicized investigation. <\/p>\n<p>The case originated from a report by a woman who,after engaging in alcohol and drug use,claimed she was assaulted by members of the Chi Phi fraternity. Despite court documents indicating she voluntarily participated in some activities and the district attorney initially declined charges, the investigation was reopened following new evidence and a lawsuit filed by the woman against the fraternity and others involved.<\/p>\n<p>the case has become intertwined with political narratives, with some politicians like AOC criticizing the university\u2019s culture and Hochul&#8217;s move seen as politically motivated. Critics argue that the decisions seem predetermined, with allegations of bias and attempts to influence the judicial process for electoral gain. The case remains complex, with ongoing legal and political developments, and raises concerns about justice and fairness amid heightened scrutiny and media coverage.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>With media attention growing in the case of an alleged gang rape at Cornell University, and a re-election battle looming in November, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has officially entered the arena.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.governor.ny.gov\/news\/statement-governor-hochul-cornell-university-sexual-assault-case-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a> released Thursday, Hochul announced an executive order establishing New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case.<\/p>\n<p>But whatever investigation James conducts, it appears she has already made up her mind about the case \u2014 and that the accuser is correct, which means the accused are already guilty.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fnewyorkstateag%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0dyXpSyAtFG72EVMRWd6xf3CEeoEDGxavV6s9CoMT8RrfG4yfAvV31fdfmkvrqjjcl&#038;show_text=true&#038;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"526\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable,\u201d James wrote in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/newyorkstateag\/posts\/what-this-young-woman-has-been-forced-to-endure-is-horrific-and-unacceptable-im-\/1645296683629108\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a> on Wednesday. \u201cI\u2019m holding her in my heart and in my prayers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo her, and to all survivors: you\u2019re not alone. We stand with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And Hochul\u2019s statement appointing James made it clear that the governor herself has already made up her mind.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued,\u201d Hochul said.<\/p>\n<p>Establishing James as special prosecutor, Hochul said, \u201cwill ensure that the matter is fully and thoroughly investigated without conflict or bias, and handled independently with the rigor that this matter demands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That remains to be seen, as the case has already become a lightning rod for leftist politicians.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aol.com\/articles\/aocs-dramatic-retelling-cornell-rape-015828000.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a>, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, traveled to Ithaca on Sunday for a speech at a university town hall where she denounced the incident and blamed \u201cthe culture of rape, sexual assault, and pedophilia,\u201d which is \u201cprotected in elite institutions across the United States and including Cornell University in this instance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/29\/nyregion\/cornell-rape-chi-phi-investigation.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a> reported on Thursday, the complicated case began Oct. 19, 2024, when a 20-year-old woman was drinking illegally in a bar in Ithaca, New York.<\/p>\n<p>She left the bar and walked to the university\u2019s Chi Phi fraternity house to meet a fraternity brother \u2014 a distance of about a mile, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p>After that, things get murky, with continued drinking, the use of marijuana and the drug ketamine, and sex involving the woman and a group of fraternity brothers, now often called the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/ithacavoice.org\/2026\/09\/cornell-7-district-attorney-to-reopen-investigation-in-fraternity-rape-allegations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cornell 7<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another summary published by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/10\/01\/nyregion\/cornell-jane-doe-rape-investigation-documents.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a> noted that the woman waited until Nov. 8 to report the incident to the Cornell Police Department, the campus police force.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn a statement to the police, parts of which were publicly released by the Tompkins County district attorney, Matthew Van Houten, on Monday, she indicates that she had voluntarily participated in some drug use and sexual activity that night,\u201d The New York Times reported.<\/p>\n<p>But the situation spiraled and other fraternity members got involved after a member wrote that \u201cfree p*ssy\u201d was available in an upstairs room, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/us\/articles\/cornell-jane-doe-told-police-074133322.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>After the woman went to the police, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcchicago.com\/news\/local\/cornell-7-what-happened-with-the-case-what-to-know-as-prosecutor-reopens-investigation\/3995362\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>, the school said it investigated the incident and expelled some of the students involved, suspended the others, and closed the fraternity chapter.<\/p>\n<p>A six-page summary of the woman\u2019s statement was forwarded to the Tompkins County District Attorney\u2019s Office, which declined to press charges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat document was thorough, it was comprehensive, it was candid \u2014 it said exactly everything that happened,\u201d District Attorney Matthew Van Houten told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/other\/cornell-frat-bros-were-disgusting-despicable-and-immoral-but-not-clearly-criminal-da-insists\/ar-AA2dcK5j\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a> on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile\u2026 the conduct of these men was disgusting, despicable, and clearly wrong morally, the allegations, if accepted as true, did not allege violations of the penal law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no probable cause to charge these men at that point with crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With information that has come to light since \u2014 particularly the full transcript of the woman\u2019s statement to Cornell police \u2014 Van Houten announced Wednesday he was reopening the investigation, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/district-attorney-reopens-case-alleged-cornell-university-gang\/story?id=136806149\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ABC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, Hochul\u2019s order takes it out of his hands.<\/p>\n<p>According to The New York Times summary, the case came to life again Sept. 16 when the woman filed a lawsuit against Cornell, the Chi Phi fraternity, the seven members she claimed raped her, and her own sorority, Delta Delta Delta. She is also suing the bar where she was drinking, the Associated Press reported.<\/p>\n<p>And now enters Hochul, who is pulling out all the stops in her re-election race to defeat Republican candidate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ny-knicks-owner-turns-kathy-hochul-gives-big-republican-opponent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bruce Blakeman<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In naming James as the special prosecutor \u2014 with the attorney general\u2019s high-profile status in Democratic circles, particularly when it comes to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/insider-letitia-james-office-says-ordered-go-trump-linked-people-orgs-find-pursue\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">persecuting<\/a> President Donald Trump \u2014 Hochul is taking the case out of the realm of civil law, out of the realm of criminal law, and placing it firmly in the political sphere.<\/p>\n<p>And that means political pressure on a matter of justice.<\/p>\n<p>In the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/09\/30\/opinion\/miranda-devine-the-lynch-mob-is-out-for-the-cornell-7-proving-weve-learned-nothing-from-past-injustices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Post<\/a> on Wednesday, columnist Miranda Devine noted that the young woman deserves sympathy and acknowledged that the men behaved appallingly.<\/p>\n<p>But, she noted, they \u201cdon\u2019t deserve to have their lives ruined if the evidence shows they committed no crime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It appears Hochul and James have already made up their minds about that.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]] = document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display = 'block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src = firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id'] = firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting = jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display = 'block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amid increasing media coverage of an alleged gang rape at Cornell and an upcoming re-election in November, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has officially stepped into the controversy. In a statement on Thursday, Hochul issued an executive order appointing Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor for the case<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2675015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-10-02T173409.841.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[86647,32911,39075,32120,5894],"class_list":["post-2675014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-cornell-7","tag-executive-order","tag-kathy-hochul","tag-new-york","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-10-02T173409.841.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2675014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2675014"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2675014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2675018,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2675014\/revisions\/2675018"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2675015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2675014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2675014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2675014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}