New York governor condemns handling of Cornell rape case

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the accuser of the six Cornell University students of gang rape was "failed" by those whose obligation was protecting her.

This includes both campus police and the county prosecutor, Hochul said.

At a press conference on Friday, she also announced the appointment of Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to take over the investigation due to the fact she had lost faith in the local district attorney's ability to handle the case.

This came after she learned the "troubling" details of the authorities' handling of the accuser's case so far.

"In what world does the district attorney not even interview her, or anyone else involved, or even request the full transcript?" Hochul asked.

"This young woman had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable. And then at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her."

According to Hochul, the woman, identified only by the placeholder name Jane Doe, told police "exactly what happened to her," including her firm belief that she had been raped.

"Yet, shockingly, those words never made it into the account that the Cornell police sent to prosecutors."

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