Columbia's "Fair" Pledge: Letitia James Rape Probe Faces Withdrawal Demands After Accused Aide Quietly Exits

New York Attorney General Letitia James faces withdrawal demands in the Cornell 7 case after publicly backing Jane Doe before the investigation.

Ex-prosecutor reveals what could complicate the James Cornell 7 investigation

A former prosecutor explains how James' statements and scrutiny of his former assistant's allegations could complicate the high-profile investigation.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has vowed to conduct a full and fair investigation into the Colonel 7 gang-rape allegations, years after she faced allegations that she ignored sexual misconduct warnings against her former chief of staff and allowed him to "quietly resign" while keeping his accuser in the dark.

The claims stem from a 2022 lawsuit filed by James' former press secretary, Sofia Quintanar. A New York judge dismissed the claims against James personally and the attorney general's office in February 2025. This decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal in May 2026.

The allegations against James gained new attention after Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed James as special prosecutor to investigate a gang rape at a Cornell University-affiliated fraternity house in October 2024.

"Cathy Hochul lost faith in the way the local police handled the Cornell rape case. So she chose Letitia James. Did you read Sofia Quintanar's petition, Governor?" Sam Antar, a fraud investigator based in New York wrote at X.

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"You have the right to question the DA's performance regarding the kernel," Antar continued. We have every right to question James' treatment of his assistant and James' choice to restore public trust.

James is already facing calls to recuse herself from the case after an attorney for one of the defendants pointed to social media posts she made days before her appointment that appeared to take the alleged victim's side.

"What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable," James posted on X on Sept. 28. "I'm holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you're not alone. We stand with you."

Andrew Miltenberg, an attorney representing accused student Gillio Lopes, filed a court petition on Oct. 7 requesting James to be removed from the case. Miltenberg argued that James' remarks raised concerns about whether she could independently evaluate the evidence and determine whether criminal charges were warranted.

"It is problematic for a prosecutor like Tish James to publicly comment on a case before the investigation is over," Rahmani said.

"And the problem is, if you file criminal charges whether it's through a complaint or a grand jury indictment, that may taint the potential jury pool in a criminal case," he added.

Rahmani acknowledged that James likely did not anticipate being appointed when she made the remarks but said defense attorneys could still raise concerns about her involvement.

Hochul has defended his decision to appoint James.

"I have every confidence in our attorney general to do what he has always done: look at the facts, examine the record and draw the appropriate conclusion," Hochul said at an Oct. 2 news conference.

James also pledged in an Oct. 1 statement that his office "will be guided by the facts and the law."

"The governor has entrusted this investigation to my office, and we don't take this responsibility lightly," James said.

But others, in addition to Antar, say New Yorkers shouldn't move away from previous allegations made against James by a former employee.

"What about justice for ex-employee Sofia Quintanar?" Latina Brown posted on X. "She spoke out about sexual harassment, and NY AG Letitia James blacklisted the woman for the entire state of New York. Democrats turned their backs on this poor woman. Where is the support for the Hispanic woman?"

The lawsuit centered on James' handling of misconduct allegations involving her former chief of staff, Ibrahim Khan, whom Quintanar accused of forcibly kissing her at a political rally in Brooklyn in November 2021.

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In his lawsuit, Quintanar accused James of ignoring warning signs about Khan's behavior and protecting him from harm after the allegations came to light.

His complaint alleged that Khan was allowed to remove his "unlawful conduct" from his resignation statement and accused James of making misleading statements to the press about his whereabouts during the investigation. Quintanar also claimed he was not privy to the investigation.

The complaint cited earlier allegations involving Angel DuBose, a former employee who alleged she was drugged and sexually assaulted at a 2014 holiday party while James served as New York City's attorney general.

The complaint cited a 2017 New York Post article linking Khan to the alleged attack. However, the New York Times reported that it later retracted the report after learning that DuBose could not remember who had attacked him and had never identified Khan as the perpetrator.

James said he referred DuBose's allegations to law enforcement and other agencies after learning of the allegations in 2017. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the New York City Bureau of Investigation later closed their investigation without filing charges.

James described the allegations as "unsubstantiated" in a December 2022 interview with New York 1.

James' office said it first learned of Quintanar's allegations against Khan on Oct. 2, 2022, directed him to telecommute and hired an outside law firm to investigate on Oct. 4.

However, the complaint was not completely dismissed. The appeals court allowed the federal civil rights claim against Khan and revived the retaliation claims against the Khan and James re-election campaign.

The investigation proved the allegations against Khan, resigned in November 2022.

The allegations centered on claims that Khan blocked Quintanar from getting a campaign job after she rejected his sexual advances.

In May 2026, an appeals court upheld the dismissal of Quintanar's claims against James and the attorney general's office, finding that the lawsuit did not sufficiently show that James knew of Khan's alleged misconduct.

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