CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig has criticised New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to put Attorney General Letitia James in charge of a Cornell University sexual assault investigation, warning that her public comments could undermine confidence in the high-profile case.
Writing for “Stay Tuned with Preet Bharara,” Honig described the appointment as a “grievous mistake” and tied his criticism to James’ handling of her civil fraud case against President Donald Trump.
“James is a deeply problematic selection for the most basic of reasons: she has already publicly prejudged this case,” Honig wrote in the biting analysis on Monday.
The investigation centres on a former student’s allegation that multiple men raped her at a fraternity house in October 2024. Honig also took aim at Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who initially declined to prosecute after reviewing only a six-page summary of her statement.
However, he argued that the situation worsened when the governor made her move. “But on Friday, Hochul somehow made it even worse when she announced her decision to appoint James as special prosecutor on the Cornell case,” Honig told readers, repeating his view that James is a “deeply problematic” selection.
Honig said the central concern is the appearance of bias, whatever James’ intentions may be. “At a minimum, James’s statement creates the appearance that she has prejudged the case,” he wrote.
He also criticised James’ past campaign rhetoric about Trump, including her promise to “be a real pain in the ass,” and accused her of making inflammatory public comments during the civil fraud trial. In Honig’s view, that history makes her a poor fit for a case that depends on public trust in a fair and impartial process.
According to Honig, Hochul had other options. He said the governor could have chosen an experienced lawyer who had not publicly weighed in on the Cornell allegations, avoiding questions about impartiality before the investigation even begins.
He closed his analysis with a stark warning about the risks of the appointment. “We’re about to learn that the only thing more dangerous than a prosecutor without a clue is a prosecutor with an agenda,” Honig concluded.