New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced late Thursday that she has signed an executive order appointing Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the Cornell sexual assault case, saying new information has raised serious questions about how the case was handled and that she has lost faith in the Tompkins County District Attorney's ability to see it through.
"Tonight, I signed an executive order appointing Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the Cornell sexual assault case," Hochul said in a statement posted to her account, @GovKathyHochul. "New information has raised serious questions about how this case was handled, and I've lost faith in the Tompkins County DA's ability to" — the statement ended there as posted.
The order hands the matter to James, whose office will oversee the investigation and, if warranted, present evidence to a grand jury, according to reporting on the governor's announcement. The appointment followed mounting scrutiny of Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten's handling of rape allegations involving Cornell University students.
Earlier Thursday, Van Houten confirmed that his office is taking a fresh look at the rape allegations after declining to do so in 2024. In a statement, he did not directly refer to New York's voluntary intoxication loophole — a controversial law that limits the use of intoxication as evidence in certain sexual assault cases — though the timing of his announcement drew attention to that statute, as noted by @MotherJones in its coverage.
The case has drawn national attention as an alleged gang rape involving Cornell students, with critics questioning why the district attorney declined to pursue charges two years ago. The governor's executive order effectively removes the case from Van Houten's jurisdiction and places it under the state attorney general's authority.
The appointment of James, a Democrat who has clashed with Republicans and emerged as a national figure through her legal battles with former President Donald Trump, adds a high-profile dimension to a case already steeped in controversy. It is not yet known whether James will impanel a grand jury or what new information prompted the governor's action.
In a separate development, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a major legal offensive against pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its CEO Albert Bourla, accusing the company of deceiving Americans about the safety and effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine while generating tens of billions of dollars in revenue. The announcement, posted Thursday by @gatewaypundit, included a video transcript of Uthmeier's remarks.
"Pfizer told Florida families that mass vaccination with their mRNA COVID vaccine was necessary to stop the spread, and that there were no material safety risks," Uthmeier said. "CEO Albert Bourla said if you didn't take it, you were putting the people you love the most at risk. He called people who asked questions criminals. In January 2023, after billions of doses, he said Pfizer had not seen a single safety signal. They spent $10 billion on advertising. They brought in more than $80 billion from the vaccine alone."
Uthmeier alleged that Pfizer failed to disclose known risks. "What they didn't say, that they knew about myocarditis in teenagers and young adults," he said. "They had reports of thousands of adverse events, including stroke and death. And they had reason to know the shot posed risks to pregnant women and unborn babies in the first trimester. Recently, Senators Paul and Johnson revealed that Dr. Anthony Fauci texted that the second dose, quote, theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the first trimester. The CDC director and the Surgeon General agreed. But pregnant women, nevertheless, were told it was safe. Pfizer hadn't even tested whether the vaccine stopped transmission."
"That's why we filed a lawsuit today against Pfizer and Albert Bourla for their deceptive practices," Uthmeier said. "What they did was wrong. They assumed Florida families could not be trusted with the truth. Well, we disagree. My office will hold them accountable."
The lawsuit escalates an ongoing battle between Florida officials and the pharmaceutical industry over pandemic-era vaccine mandates and messaging. Pfizer has not issued a public response to the filing as of Thursday evening.
In another overseas development, Bolivian Attorney General Roger Mariaca was arrested on suspicion of money laundering and drug trafficking, according to @CBSNews. Police reportedly found bundles of cash smuggled out of his house, the government said. Mariaca, who is under U.S. sanctions, was taken into custody amid a widening corruption probe. Details about the charges and the circumstances of his arrest remain limited.
Separately, @funder, a liberal account, criticized Todd Blanche, who formerly defended Donald Trump and now serves as Attorney General, over the continued sealing of the Epstein files. "Todd Blanche used to get paid to defend Donald Trump," the post said. "Now taxpayers pay him to be Attorney General, and the Epstein files are still locked up. Same client." The post urged followers to send Congress a letter demanding every page.
In a second post, @funder highlighted a legal battle involving El Paso County Attorney Christina Sanchez, who received what the account described as a ransom note from the Trump administration: citizenship-check every voter or lose your counterterror money. Sanchez called the demand reckless and took the administration to court, where the account said the government lost "everywhere." The post used the hashtag #PayToPlayPresident. The account is a partisan source, and its characterization of events should be attributed accordingly.
The posts and transcripts referenced above are social media content and should be treated as such — statements by the accounts named, not independently verified reporting.
The governor's office did not immediately release the full text of the executive order or detail what new information prompted the appointment. The Tompkins County District Attorney's office has not commented beyond Van Houten's statement confirming a fresh look at the case.
Our Take
Kathy Hochul's decision to appoint Letitia James as special prosecutor in the Cornell sexual assault case is a damning indictment of the Tompkins County District Attorney's office. For two years, victims waited while Matthew Van Houten declined to pursue credible allegations of gang rape. Only after the governor lost faith in his ability to handle the case did he suddenly announce a fresh look — a transparent attempt to save face. New York's voluntary intoxication loophole, which @MotherJones hints at, may have played a role in the initial refusal, allowing perpetrators to escape accountability. Hochul's move is a step toward justice, but it raises questions: why did it take an executive order to get serious about a violent crime?
Meanwhile, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's lawsuit against Pfizer and CEO Albert Bourla is a welcome challenge to Big Pharma's arrogance. For years, Pfizer told Americans their product was safe and effective, while suppressing evidence of myocarditis in young people and risks to pregnant women. The company raked in over eighty billion dollars while calling skeptics criminals. Uthmeier is right: Pfizer assumed Florida families could not be trusted with the truth. Now they will answer in court. This is what accountability looks like.
