Conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly publicly criticized New York Attorney General Letitia James on Friday, alleging bias in James's handling of the "Cornell 7" investigation. The case involves an alleged gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell University in October 2024, with seven fraternity brothers at its center. Governor Kathy Hochul appointed James as the special prosecutor for the high-profile case.
"A prosecutor’s obligation is to seek justice, not to choose one side or the other." Megyn Kelly, Conservative Podcaster and Former Political Commentator
During her Sirius XM show, Kelly played a clip of James declining to answer a journalist's question about a Facebook post concerning the Cornell 7 case. Following the clip, Kelly expressed strong disapproval of James's perceived impartiality. "This is so f–ked up! That’s the woman who is now going to decide whether charges are brought against the Cornell 7," Kelly stated. She accused Governor Hochul of "rigging the outcome" by appointing what she described as a "rabid, fire-breathing hack" to lead the investigation. Kelly added, "[Hochul] has now appointed someone even more abhorrent and hateful than she is — Letitia James — as special prosecutor in this case."
Kelly specifically targeted a Facebook post James made last week, addressing the accuser, identified as Jane Doe. In the post, James described the suspected crimes as "horrific and unacceptable" and wrote, "We stand with you." To Kelly, these statements demonstrated a clear prejudgment of the case. "A prosecutor’s obligation is to seek justice, not to choose one side or the other," Kelly emphasized, arguing that James had "chosen a side" even before commencing her investigation.
Beyond the issue of prosecutorial impartiality, Kelly voiced significant concern for the seven students involved. She characterized their alleged conduct as "a night of debauchery" and acknowledged that some had "sent out — in the case of one or two of them — f—king stupid, offensive text messages." Kelly suggested that such messages are not uncommon, remarking, "Hello! Spend a day on X. I challenge you not to find multiple of those." She expressed worry that these young men could face "decades in prison" due to the allegations.
The Cornell case gained national attention last month when Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit against the seven fraternity brothers. This development has also contributed to a broader national discussion surrounding Greek Life and the culture of fraternities on college campuses. Kelly, however, rejected the premise that American universities inherently go easy on male students in sexual assault cases. "The notion that an Ivy League university or any university in America — its instincts would be to go easy on the guys and dismiss the word of the woman as a nothing … is just so absurd," she contended.
Earlier in the week, Kelly extended her criticism to celebrities who commented on the case without full knowledge of the facts. She specifically called out actress Mariska Hargitay for resharing social media posts about the case, including one that read, "Yes, I think we should ruin the futures of adult men who drug and gang-rape a woman." Kelly challenged Hargitay's authority to comment, stating, "Now she wants to lecture us on what should happen in a case like this!"
Concluding her commentary on the accuser, Jane Doe, Kelly acknowledged that the incident in October 2024 was "extremely traumatic" for her. However, Kelly offered a controversial perspective on the nature of that trauma. "I think it’s extremely traumatic because I think she consented. And I’m sure she’s having to live with the shame and awfulness of that, of being treated like a piece of meat who didn’t matter, who’s basically just a f–kbuddy by these guys at this fraternity," Kelly said. She added, "I don’t blame her for being traumatized. I bet she really is. But that doesn’t mean she gets praised as a national hero, folks." The investigation by Attorney General James remains ongoing.
